


Covered in skin

by Ischa



Series: Skin-verse [2]
Category: Bandom, My Chemical Romance, Supernatural, The Academy Is...
Genre: Alternate Universe - Supernatural, Big Bang Challenge, Child Abuse, Crossover, F/M, M/M, Sexual Content, Shapeshifting, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-09-05
Updated: 2011-09-05
Packaged: 2017-10-23 11:05:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 25,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/249604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ischa/pseuds/Ischa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There are a few things on Dean's plate: finding Dad, finding Pastor Jim who disappeared, finding out why his brother has freaky Jedi powers (that don't freak Dean out at all), why a bunch of hunters died in a fire, finding out the Ways' secret agenda (because the boys are suspicious as hell) and then there is the thing with his own dreams - which he isn't admitting of having in the first place.<br/>Season 1 AU.</p><p><i>“Don’t yell!” Gerard says tired. “Why did you even call?”</i>
<br/><i>“Because I think you need to hear my voice outside your brain, so it makes an impact. You can’t ignore me when I’m yelling into your fucking ear, Gee!” Mikey answers.</i>
<br/><i>“I can’t ignore you when you’re in my head either,” Gerard says.</i>
<br/><i>Mikey sighs. “You do. You do ignore me and tell the fucking Winchesters that Pastor Jim died on our watch. What the hell is wrong with you?”</i>
<br/><i>“I’m tired of all this bullshit. I am tired of them hiding, I want them to be afraid and I want them to know we’re hunting these bastards down and I tell you something, Mikes, Sam doesn’t seem like someone who’s cool with shit like that.”</i>
<br/></p>
            </blockquote>





	Covered in skin

**Title:** Covered in skin  
 **Pairing:** Bob/Emilie Autumn, Gerard/Dean, Gerard/William (past Jared/Gerard)  
 **Rating:** NC-17  
 **Summary:** There are a few things on Dean's plate: finding Dad, finding Pastor Jim who disappeared, finding out why his brother has freaky Jedi powers (that don't freak Dean out at all), why a bunch of hunters died in a fire, finding out the Ways' secret agenda (because the boys are suspicious as hell) and then there is the thing with his own dreams - which he isn't admitting of having in the first place.  
Season 1 AU.  
 _“Okay. So he is not a siren and he is not bewitching Sam or you or whatever it is you’re thinking. He’s ours. He’s family.”  
“Not by blood,” Dean interrupts.  
“What does it matter?” Gerard answers. He takes a sip of coffee and sighs. He starts to feel like a real person again. Dean makes a noise.  
“You make porn noses when you drink coffee,” he says and Gerard laughs. He just can’t help himself. _  
**Warning(s):** violence, sex, mentions of child abuse and rape (nothing graphic)  
 **Author’s Notes:** Supernatural crossover. Written for sncross_bigbang, sequel to [Ghost in the snow](249593), but can be read on its own.  
[Amazing art](http://dollarformyname.livejournal.com/44674.html) by dollarformyname \o/  
Soundtrack: [Music](http://www.megaupload.com/?d=AJ84U1OV)  
 **Word Count:** 26.479  
 **Beta:** frost_solcom, theplumtomato, silvrhuntress  
 **Disclaimer:** Don’t know, don’t own, not real

  


 

\---

  


  
 **~1~**  


  
Pastor Jim hangs himself the second week in. Gerard is the one who finds him, but Mikey is sure none of them will forget how he looked. It’s constantly in Mikey’s mind, as it is in Gerard’s. They can't shake the image and Mikey is glad and furious that he has to share it with Gerard in equal parts.  
Bob buries his ashes in the backyard. Far, far away from where they sit on their rare days off. The Letos help him before they’re off again, to wherever they go when they aren’t at Bob’s or crossing hunters' paths.  
No one really knows if they even live anywhere.

“Holy men usually don’t hang themselves,” Gerard says a week later. It’s early afternoon and the sun is shining through the half-closed blinds in the living room. He’s obsessing about it, and Mikey knows it. Hell, Mikey’s sure Gerard knows it as well. There’s no way he can’t not know it.

“He was mad and you are well aware of it. He was mad, and what future did he have, anyway? We didn’t even know what we would’ve done with him. We couldn’t have held him in the basement forever.”

“You’re glad he’s dead,” Gerard says, surprised.

Mikey shrugs. “It’s less complicated that way, and I kind of hated him in the end.”

“He was there for us more often than not. He knew us. He was…” Gerard bites his lip and Mikey’s glad he doesn’t end the sentence with ‘like family’, because Mikey really doesn’t want to think about that. At all.

“He let people torture, rape and kill children, Gerard,” Mikey answers, his voice hard. He takes out his pack , lights a cigarette and takes a deep drag.

Gerard sighs. “I just want to know why, is all.”

“Maybe he was possessed?” William throws in.

Mikey’s head snaps in his direction. “How long were you standing there, anyway?”

“A few minutes, I guess,” he answers, but doesn’t move. He just stands in the door. He is getting better, Mikey thinks.

 _’He is.’_ Gerard’s voice in his head sounds proud.

“Possessed, hmmm?” Mikey says, taking a deep drag.

“It’s a possibility,” Gerard admits. Mikey actually doesn’t think his brother’s grasping at straws. Gerard stretches on the couch and his shirt rides up, and Mikey sees William watching out of the corner of his eye. Gerard smiles.

 _’It’s kind of unfair that I know everything you know.’_ he says.

Mikey shrugs, takes another drag and hands his cigarette over to his brother. _’It’s not our fault. People just need to be more careful around us if they don’t want us to know stuff.’_

 _’I don’t want him to feel like he needs to be careful around us,’_ Gerard answers. Mikey smiles at him.

 _’I know.’_

~+~  
William’s read up a lot over the last few weeks about things that go bump in the night. There’s a lot of folklore about nearly everything you could imagine. A lot of it is kind of ridiculous and Gerard always says not to trust the internet on these things. William understands all too well after he types in ‘vampire’ and comes up with a lot of dark, romantic poetry and hot porn. People’s views on vampires seem to be kind of warped.  
“Vicious, vicious killers, that’s what they are. Never came across one that didn’t want to eat a human being. It’s in their nature,” Gerard had said.  
When push comes to shove, he trusts Gerard's opinion on these things.

“Wanna stay over there the whole day?” Gerard asks, cigarette between his fingers. William isn’t sure. He likes to watch them, likes how comfortable they are.

“Maybe,” he answers quietly and bites his lip. He isn’t… it’s not that he’s cheeky. He just has no idea how, what he can do or say here.

“You know you can. No one here is gonna make you do something you don’t want to do,” Gerard says earnestly.

William nods, he knows that. His brain knows that, but the rest of him? Not so much.

~+~  
There are casual touches and most of the time Gerard isn’t even aware he’s doing it. It’s like the first hug made some kind of line or wall disappear. He doesn’t try anything, but he doesn’t shy away, either, and it makes him happy and warm inside ( _‘You’re so cheesy…’_ Mikey laughs) that William is looking at him. He would’ve been okay with anybody else, too. As long as William was actually interested in being with someone at all.

 _’I miss the Letos.’_

 _’You miss Jared,’_ Mikey answers.

 _’He made William smile and blush.’_

 _’He’s a flirt…’_ Mikey takes a sip of coffee and shrugs.

 _’He…he likes William.’_

 _’You think that? Seriously?_

 _’You heard what he said. Outside the bathroom? He sounded guilty for being turned on by all of it.’_

 _’You were feeling guilty, too,’_ Mikey gives back. He inches closer to snuggle under the blanket with Gerard. Gerard takes the mug and a sip before he gives it back once Mikey’s settled down, his body a warm, comfortable presence along Gerard’s own.

“Yeah, I still am sometimes, when I think about it,” Gerard admits.

Mike nods. “I know, that's just you being you.”

~+~  
There are things that just don't add up when he thinks about them. He tries not to think about them, but they’re about his nature, so it's pretty hard to ignore when it comes down to business.  
He remembers that the silver-knife hurt when he cut himself with it (and when these people used it on him), but he only felt a tingle when he had held it. The books say (all the books say) that silver hurts shifters. All shifters.

“So... I have a question,” William begins and Gerard looks up from a book he was reading for research. William doesn't think their stay will be long this time. The Ways are only at Bob's until the car is fixed again and Bob is working night and day on it.

“Yeah? What kind of question?”

“About shifters,” William answers, biting his lip.

“Shoot.”

“The books say that all shifters are hurt by silver.”

“Yes. I've seen it.”

“That means that they can't touch it without them hurting?” William asks.

“Yes. You know that, I mean...” Gerard trails off. He doesn't want to be the one to bring it up if William doesn't. William is glad for it.

“I don't,” he blurts out. Gerard looks confused.

“They used a silver-knife on you. I mean - we've seen how bad it was...”

“I mean, I don't feel pain when I touch silver,” William clarifies, to stop Gerard's helpless rambling.

“You touched silver?” Gerard asks. Trust Gerard to focus on that part.

“I'm not doing any harm to myself here...” William says, rolling his eyes.

“Yeah? What else is it then?” Gerard looks somewhere between mad and unhappy.

“Technically, yes, I did harm to myself when I cut my palm with a silver-knife, but that was before I knew. I needed to know what kind of freak I am.”

“You aren't a freak!” Gerard interrupts hotly.

William smiles, “I am, but that's okay. You and Mikey are too. I'm in good company.”

Gerard smiles at that. “So, you can touch silver? You did it just to see if you could?”

“Yeah. Thing is it doesn't hurt me, it only hurts when I'm cut with it. Not when I touch it. I could eat with a silver-spoon, I think - I didn't try. I just... maybe it's a shifter thing?”

“No, I think that's unique to you. You’re just - a new kind of shifter maybe, I don't know. But it's good to know that this method isn't foolproof.”

“Gee, thanks. Now I feel all better,” William says and bites his lip immediately. “I didn't mean to be - I didn't want...” he stammers and steps back, so he's pressed to the wall.  
Gerard didn't even get up from the couch.

“It's okay,” he says softly.

William hates himself and hates what his 'parents' made of him. He isn't even a person. He doesn't even feel like a person sometimes.

“Come here?”

William shakes his head and sinks down so he’s sitting on the floor. His knees pressed to his chest. Gerard doesn’t get up, but he takes another book in hand and begins to read. It’s a fairy tale and William closes his eyes and lets it take him somewhere else.

  
 **~2~**

  
  
“Pastor Jim isn’t answering his phone and no one’s seen him for days, weeks maybe,” Sam says.

Dean nods, eyes on the road. “Wanna check it out?”

Sam bites his lip, he does want to check it out. “It’s Pastor Jim,” he says eventually.

Dean turns the car and Sam takes a deep breath to calm himself down. He’s nervous and afraid for Pastor Jim. They’ve lost so much, he doesn’t think he can deal that great with another death. He knows that it’s a risk they all take on. How many times has one of them nearly died? Too many to count.

~+~  
The house looks abounded and Dean has a sinking feeling. They heard about the fire and all the lost lives (hunters) a few weeks ago, but neither of them made the connection.

“Something just doesn’t sit right with me,” Sam says.

“No shit, genius. Someone went after those hunters.”

“I hardly think it was only one person.”

“I hardly think it was a person at all…” Dean answers. He walks over to the kitchen and looks into the cupboards. “I don’t get what this man has against coffee,” he says sighing and pouring a glass of water instead.

“What are you doing?”

“Getting something to drink and maybe to eat. We can do our research from here. I’m sick of motel showers,” Dean answers.

“This is a crime scene.”

“For a while now, and we aren’t cops. We’re better, Sammy.”

“It’s Sam,” Sam says, but he nods and then grabs the phone to order some food.

~+~  
While they’re sitting on the couch, eating take out and drinking the last of Pastor Jim’s beer, Dean suddenly turns and says: “Can’t you - you know?” and waves his hand in a fashion that tells Sam he means the whole physic thing.

“No, I can’t. It’s not like I can will it to happen. They’re dreams, Dean.”

Dean nods. “We could call Bobby…” he says.

“Yeah, I bet he knows more than we do, and we’re here. No, I don’t think Bobby heard from Pastor Jim at all in the last few weeks. He had his hands full identifying bodies.” Sam frowns.

“You think these things are related somehow.”

“It’s just - a bunch of hunters die in a fire, then a bunch of hunters die in a fire and a shooting and Pastor Jim goes missing. A bit too perfect?”

“Doesn’t mean anything. Pastor Jim wasn’t one of them.”

“And with them you mean Gordon and Williams and -”

“Yes! The crazy bunch,” Dean interrupts.

Sam leans his head against the back of the sofa and closes his eyes. “I’m fucking tired of this.”

Dean _‘hmm’_ s an agreement. He’s tired as well. “Shower and then bed, Sammy, maybe you’ll dream something useful.”

 _‘Maybe I’ll dream something horrible,’_ he thinks, but doesn’t voice it. What good would it do?

~+~  
He does dream that night and it feels all wrong, like it isn’t even his dream. Like he’s trapped in someone else’s nightmare.

There are fingers all over his body, pulling and stroking, and his skin aches and feels like it’s on fire when something cold is pressed to it; he can feel the tingle of blood and then more hands. Clutching his arms and legs and wrists. Hot breath on his naked skin. Lips and teeth.

He wakes up breathing hard and biting his lip so he doesn’t scream. He feels like running, like standing under a shower for hours. He’s never felt so horribly unclean and used in his whole life.

He realises he’s shaking and wraps the blanket around him harder. He wants to crawl into Dean’s bed, just so he doesn’t feel alone. So he doesn’t feel the ghostly touches of this nightmare still clinging to his skin, his mind. His very soul.

He gets up instead and into the living room. He pours himself whisky and just stares at the wall while he drinks it in slow sips until the sun goes up.

Dean stumbles into the living room some hours later, freshly showered and looking well-rested.

“You look like shit,” he says. “What did you see?”  
Sam shakes his head. He really doesn’t want to talk about it; he doesn’t even want to think about it. About the horror, the person’s fear and pain.  
“Sam, look at me and tell me what you’ve seen.”

“I can’t. It wasn’t Pastor Jim, but I can’t.” He closes his eyes again. He can’t deal.

“I’m going to get some coffee and breakfast and you - you go and shower and when I’m back we’re gonna talk about this.”

“You don’t even want to acknowledge that I have powers most of the time, Dean,” Sam says, tired.

“Our life shouldn’t be the NC-17 version of The Sixth Sense,” Dean answers.

Sam smiles. “I want a bagel with cream cheese and lettuce.”

“You’re kind of disgusting,” he says before he grabs his jacket and the keys and is out of the door. Leaving Sam alone.

~+~  
Sam hates to be alone with his head. He thinks that’s the reason his Dad (their Dad) was drinking so much. Maybe it’s the reason Dean is sleeping with everyone who’s interested. He puts the glass down and gets up.

The shower is great after a night he spent on the couch, brooding and trying to block the images of rape and torture from his mind. There must be a reason why he dreamed about that. About that helpless person; helpless, skinny, young person. He shuts his eyes firmly against the images. It doesn’t help, because it never does.

Dean’s not back when he gets down to the kitchen, freshly showered and dressed. He does the laundry and goes over to the study. If there is something to find, then it would be there. The study looks like it looked yesterday. Too clean, like someone was there already and took away whatever they were looking for. It’s kind of frustrating.

There are a few pictures of children. Of Dean and Sam. One ripped apart in the trash can of two boys, very young. He gathers the pieces and puts it together carefully. There is something scribbled on the back. ‘My boys, Helena’. _Hmm_ , Sam thinks. _This is odd_. His stomach makes a funny sound just as Dean opens the door.

“Sam?”

“Study!” Sam shouts back.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Dean asks, putting coffee cups and a bag on the desk.

“Found this in the trash,” Sam says, holding the photo up, taped together.

“And?”

“Why would someone rip it apart? Why would Pastor Jim?”

“He wouldn’t,” Dean answers. He hands one cup of coffee to his brother.

Sam nods.

“No he wouldn’t. So we just have to find out who Helena is.”

“Looks old,” Dean says, taking the photo and looking it over. “Maybe there’s a cross-reference to her in Dad’s journal.” He puts the photo on the desk and gets the journal out of his jacket. Dean carries that thing with him everywhere like it’s something holy.

“Think she’s a hunter?” Sam asks, a bit sceptical.

“Wouldn’t be the first hunter with kids,” Dean answers, waving that argument away before it even starts.

Sam bites his tongue. Dad is a dangerous mine field. This is really not the time to have another shouting match with Dean about Dad. He sips his coffee and waits while Dean flips through the journal.

“And?”

“Something in Jersey a while back. H. Way. Here’s a phone number; a landline,” Dean says. When Dean says a while, he usually means years.

“Call her, then.”

“Shut up and eat your bagel,” Dean answers, but he grabs the phone and dials the number.

Sam waits, drumming the rhythm of Stormbringer against the desk. Dean gives him a quick look and Sam realises the song and makes himself stop. Dean grins, opens his mouth to say something and then shuts it.

“Yeah, would I be able to talk to Helena Way?” he says. His most charming voice. Must be a girl on the other end of the line. “It’s a rather delicate matter, I have this number from an old friend of hers…yes. Thank you so very much,” Dean says, scribbling something down.

“And?”

“She’s dead. For a while now, but the elderly woman on the other side of the line gave me the number of her grandson,” Dean answers.

“That’s something,” Sam says, biting into his bagel and putting the empty coffee cup on the desk.

“Gonna call him after I have something to eat. Or you can call him. I don’t care,” he pushes the piece of paper in Sam’s direction and Sam nods.

  
 **~3~**

  
  
“Way,” Gerard says. He hopes to god it’s something important. He feels like death warmed over and he hasn’t had any coffee before the damn phone rang.

 _’Hmm?’_ Mikey’s sleepy mind asks.

 _’You can go back to sleep.’_

 _’I’m awake now. You should pay more attention to that guy on the phone. He’s talking to you.’_ Mikey’s voice in his head sounds amused.

“What? Sorry, just woke up. You were saying?” Gerard says into the phone. “Yeah, she was my grandmother. Can I ask where you got the number?”

Mikey feels Gerard tense and turns to look at him. Gerard runs a hand through his hair.

 _’Pastor Jim.’_ Gerard's mind answers the unasked question. Mikey’s fingers touch his side in a calming gesture. “No, I haven’t talked to him in a while, to be honest,” Gerard lies. Gerard is a good liar when he wants to be; Helena always said he was a great actor. Mikey’s fingers tighten around his hip. “Yes, definitely.” He ends the call and looks at Mikey.

“So?”

“Some dude named Sam is looking for Pastor Jim,” Gerard answers, grabbing his brother’s hand and squeezing.

“Are you worried?”

“Of course I’m worried,” Gerard says.

“You think he’s a hunter.”

“They all are. Pastor Jim didn’t know other people…what bugs me is where they got the phone number from. We got everything out of the house that could lead to us or Bob,” Gerard says.

“Uhm…”

“What?”

“You’re gonna get mad, but I ripped that photo of us apart and threw it into the trash when we were cleaning out the house. I was just so mad at him. I didn’t want it because it was his, grandma gave it to him and well…”

“Oh, fuck.” Gerard closes his eyes and breathes. “Ready to get up?” he asks after a few seconds of silence.

“I really don’t want to face this,” Mikey mumbles.

“It’s not your fault he was-”

“Evil?” Mikey supplies.

“Misguided,” Gerard says and Mikey sighs.

“He wasn’t misguided. He was mad, Gee. And it’s my fault if this Sam guy is after us because he found a photo and made all the right connections and found out our current phone number.”

Gerard keeps silent for a while, only holding his brother’s hand until Mikey squeezes and gets up.

“You can have the first shower,” he says, his bare feet making soft sounds on the naked floorboard.

“So you can have the first coffee?” Gerard asks with a grin.

“Yeah, but I’ll share the rest with you.”

Gerard laughs.

  
William is already up and at the table, a mug in front of him and a book on the table.

“Still reading up on shape shifters?”

“Oh, hey…yes. A lot of this just doesn’t apply to me. It’s so strange…”

“You think you’re something else?” Mikey asks.

“No, I know I’m a shape shifter, there are just too many things that don’t add up. Just maybe a kind no hunter has seen yet?”

“Not very likely, but of course we don’t have the whole encyclopaedia of hunting the things-that-go-bump-in-the-night. Mostly because a lot of hunters take their journals with them when they die. They burn to ashes, are thrown away and such…the police, the people, don’t know what to do with them. How important they are. And there aren’t that many hunter-families.”

“You’re from one,” William says.

“Yes… and no. Helena was a hunter, but she gave up that life – mostly - when she got married and had kids. And then after our parents died in the fire, she had us to look after.”

“But she did train you to be hunters,” William says.

Mikey busies himself with preparing the coffee maker and switches it on. “She never wanted that life for us. We didn’t go on hunts when we were little. We had a normal childhood, with cookies and normal teenage years with a lot of angst and music and D&D and Gerard painting and having identity crises…” he smiles fondly at the memories. “We took to hunting after she died.”

“But why?” William wants to know.

“I have no idea, we just felt like it was the right thing to do. See, most hunters are broken and we aren’t. I mean, not more than other people who aren’t hunters. So - it’s like we’re trying to balance out the crazy people out there, I guess.”

“I’m glad you guys care. I’m glad Gerard cares enough for strangers to offer help,” William says.

“I am, too,” Mikey answers, pouring coffee into a mug and sitting down next to William. They’re still testing boundaries, but that’s okay. It will take William a while to get used to being a person. His own person. “Have you thought about school?”

“I don’t think I’m ready, yet,” William says in a small voice. Like he’s ashamed or like he fears he’s disappointing them.

“That’s okay. You’ll get there, and in the meantime, Emilie will teach you what she knows - and she knows a lot of things.”

William nods.

~+~  
William is terrified of school or of getting out at all. He hasn’t been outside since the Ways brought him back here after they blew up the house with the hunters. After the whole hostage exchange thing had gone so wrong - not that there was a single moment he thought it could go right. But Gerard and Mikey nearly dying was never part of the plan, that much William knows. He only leaves the house to sit outside in the backyard. He’s fiercely glad that Bob and Emilie don’t have neighbours that live nearby. There’s no one who would wonder why he’s even here or who he is.

He tucks his hands into the pockets of his hoodie and stares at the line of trees that marks the end of Bob’s land. He’s never gone farther than that. He’d touched the bark and didn’t have the urge to ever leave this place.

But it was easier right after the whole hostage thing. The Letos were there as well. He had company. Now, with Bob and Emilie both working, he spends his days mostly alone in the house; reading, writing, listening to music - he loves their music collection - and waiting for the distinct rumble of the Ways’ car.

The days are lazy and a bit dull.

~+~  
“We’re going to see a movie tomorrow night,” Gerard announces at dinner. Emilie gives him a look. “I know you and Bob… want some time alone.”

She doesn’t even blush. “It’s my first free day in weeks.” She nods.

“So, me and Mikey are going to see a movie and maybe another after that and then we’re going to eat something, or before. We won’t be home until… late.”

“Okay,” Bob says and stabs his steak a bit too hard.

“We’re taking William with us,” Mikey throws in.

William looks up. A bit surprised, a bit panicked. “I-”

“You’ll be okay. You haven’t been outside the house in weeks.”

“I was in the garden just yesterday,” William protests.

“Let me rephrase: You haven’t left the Bryar grounds in weeks.” Mikey takes a sip of his water and looks at William.

“You don’t have to,” Emilie says gently. “You can stay here where you feel safe for as long as you need to.”

“No, Mikey’s right. I’ll be okay. I won’t be alone, and they have guns,” he answers, not looking at anyone in the room.

Gerard touches his arm softly and feels William tense and then relax. “You really don’t have to, but if you should want to go out with us – only movies and dinner, but not like a date!” he adds hastily and William smiles. “Uhm…we’ll take care of you. Nothing will happen to you. You know that, right?”

“Yes,” William says, smiling a little.

 _’I bet he would like you to take him out to movies and dinner, and make it a date,’_ Mikey teases.

 _’Oh, shut up!’_ Gerard answers.

Truth is that that thought crossed his mind now and then. It’s not something he tends to linger on. It wouldn’t be okay, anyway. What with William being so broken and so young and crushing on Jared fucking Leto – not that Gerard can blame him. He and Jared were fucking fireworks, igniting each other with every word and touch.

 _‘Stop thinking about sex while we’re having dinner, for god’s sake!’_ Mikey says sternly, but a bit amused too.

“Sorry…” Gerard replies and Mikey rolls his eyes.

~+~  
William feels okay in the car on the entire ride into town. He’s a bit jumpy when they get out and then walk to the theatre, and then standing in line is a bit of a hell. He feels like everyone is staring at him. He knows it’s not true. A lot of people are staring at Gerard, because he’s so fucking pretty and present. He wishes he had shifted into someone else for this little adventure. Mikey grabs his hand then and squeezes and Gerard turns to smile at him while he buys three tickets for a movie William hasn’t heard of at all.  
He feels better immediately.

He takes a deep breath and squeezes back.

“Popcorn? Or something else?” Gerard asks.

“Hmm… popcorn is fine,” William says and Mikey rolls his eyes.

“Take the M&M’s as well and something to drink.”

“Sure,” Gerard nods.

He remembers that his mom went with him to see movies on Saturdays once a month when he was a kid. He was excited for those days. They were still with Dad then… the one he liked. Before Rick invaded their lives.

He ends up sitting in the middle between the Way brothers. It feels safe, it feels good, and the darkness and noises and people talking in hushed voices don’t freak him out at all. When the movie starts he feels like a real person again.

~+~  
The wind is chilly when they leave the cinema, enough that Mikey tightens his scarf while he lights two cigarettes. Gerard is always aching for one when he has to spend hours inside without it. When he _knows_ he isn’t allowed to smoke. It’s kind of ridiculous.

 _’Whatever,’_ Gerard says, taking the offered cigarette.

Mikey smiles. “You’re welcome. Someone else hungry?”

“I’m kind of starving,” William admits.

“Did you even eat anything besides the piece of toast this morning?” Gerard asks, exhaling smoke.

“Popcorn and a candy bar?” William answers.

“It sounds like you’re not even sure about the candy bar, dude,” Gerard says, taking another deep drag.

“Couldn’t eat…was all…” he waves his hand, because he doesn’t have the words right now.

“Okay. You were excited? Afraid? What? We can’t read your mind…” Mikey says gently and his brother nods his agreement.

William seems to think for a while, while they smoke, and settles on: “Uneasy, I think.”

“Okay, we can work with that,” Gerard says with a smile. He flips the butt of his cigarette onto the pavement and asks: “You want something in particular?”

William shakes his head. “I think anything is fine?”

“No, it’s not…” Gerard says with a grin.

“I want sushi and I want a lot of it,” Mikey throws in.

“Don’t know if William’s okay with uncooked fish,” Gerard answers in.

“He won’t know if he doesn’t try it, will he?”

Gerard smiles. “I know you… I can read your mind.”

Mikey waves his argument away. “Point still stands,” he says.

“Sushi is fine, I think. I’ll try it, and I’m sure there are cooked things in Japan?” The last part is a question.

“Yes!” Mikey says, and William smiles.

  
 **~4~**

  
  
“I’m no psychic,” Dean begins and Sam shoots him a look, “but even I know that something fishy is going on here.”

“You think?”

“Don’t give me that crap, Sammy.”

“It’s Sam.”

Dean rolls his eyes. “Whatever. You think he’s dead?”

“Pastor Jim?”

“Yeah…”

“Maybe. Doesn’t look too good for him and I just know that this Way guy knows something.”

“Call Bobby. He knows all the hunters. Or most of them.”

“What are you gonna do?”

“Take a piss.” Dean says and stands up. Sam rolls his eyes. “You asked. Don’t ask if you don’t want to know.”  
His brother is such a dick sometimes, Sam thinks. Seriously. He doesn’t wait for Dean to disappear into the restroom before he takes out his cell and calls Bobby.

~+~  
“So?” Dean asks when he comes back.

“Bobby is making a few calls. He’ll get back to us. Nothing we can do now except wait.”

“There might be a gig in Jersey,” Dean says.

“Jersey?”

“Yeah, Jersey. It’s not different from bum town Kansas when it comes to these kinds of things.”

“I know, but…”

“What?”

“Nothing. Let’s check it out,” Sam says. Dean gives him a look. Not a worried one, a curious one. Sam doesn’t like the look at all. The ‘I’m your older brother’-look. Like Dean knows everything just because he was born four years earlier. He doesn’t know everything.

“You okay?” Dean asks.

“I’m good. Never been to Jersey.”

“You’ll love it,” Dean says.

Sam is sure he won’t.

~+~  
The truth is that he is still dreaming about that child. He is, at times, that child. It feels all wrong and he wakes up a mess; sweaty and feeling ill. It feels even worse than the dreams he had after Jess died. At least he wasn’t feeling her pain. He doesn’t talk about it, because he can’t. Doesn’t even know if he could describe the horror of it all; of the hands pushing him down and the sharp edges of knives and hipbones and the sheer pain and disgust he’s feeling all the time. How human contact, the simplest touch, becomes something unbearable.

In the morning when he’s got his first cup of coffee or tea, when he’s lucky, he can separate his own feelings from that kid he dreams about, but for the first few seconds, minutes, he wakes up after it’s really hard. The lines between his own nightmare and this kid’s nightmare (life) are blurred.

~+~  
Dean knows Sam. Knows Sam like he doesn’t know anyone else. Even after all the years they didn’t talk while Sam was away, he knows Sam and that’s how he knows that Sam is hiding something from him. The dreams about Jess were bad enough, of course, but Dean is sure Sam managed to leave that behind. The dreams at least, even if not the guilt. Dean suspects that Sam will always feel guilty for Jess’ death.

He also knows that Sam isn’t ready to talk about it yet. He isn’t sure he’ll wait much longer. Then whatever it is that eats at Sam it can’t be good at all.

~+~  
Dean is watching the street, like he always does. There’s some old school rock band on the radio, like there always is, and they are driving down an endless boring road to hunt something evil and vicious and that could most likely kill them – business as usual.  
The only difference is that he feels like that whole Pastor Jim thing has something to do with the dreams of this kid he has.

He doesn’t like the connections his brain comes up with. He doesn’t like feeling that frightened, and like he can’t breathe when he wakes up.

He keeps all of it to himself for now. Sam knows Dean will ask sooner or later, but he isn’t sure Dean really wants to know. He remembers the talk about the powers all too well. It’s nothing he would like to repeat. It was even more awkward than the sex-talk Dean gave him when Sam was thirteen, because Dad wasn’t there. Because he was never there and Dean always was.

~+~  
Bobby calls the day after they arrive in Jersey when Dean is showering, so Sam picks up.

“Yeah?”

“About the Way kids,” Bobby begins and Sam thinks: kids.

“I’m listening.”

“From what I hear they are excellent hunters. Stick to themselves mostly, like all the good, paranoid hunters do. The only place they’re in and out frequently is Bryar’s. He lives a bit outside of Chicago. Good man, not a hunter, but knows his shit. Settled down two, three years ago with a doctor. The Way’s grandmother was a hunter. She quit when she got married and raised the boys after their parents died.”

“Anything suspicious?” Sam asks.

“No, nothing.” Bobby says.

“Isn’t that itself suspicious as hell?” Sam wants to know. The hunters they came across were all a  
bit… crazy isn’t the right word. Scared would fit better.

“Usually I’m the first to say yes, but they seem like good kids. Pastor Jim was like family.”

“He was family to us as well.”

“Yeah, because John left you there for weeks and months. Helena never dumped her grandsons to go on a hunt. She didn’t hunt when she was raising them. She didn’t hunt after she got married…” Bobby says.

“Oh, right. You want to tell me that they are some kind of mentally healthy hunters? Because that’s as fucking rare as a unicorn and they don’t exist.” He leans his head against the wall and closes his eyes. Imagine that. Fuck.

“There aren’t mentally healthy hunters, or they wouldn’t be hunters; they’re just not as fucked up as the rest of us.”

“Right. You think that’s a dead end.” It’s not a question.

“Yeah, I do…unless there is something you guys aren’t telling me?”

“No. Thanks for the background check on the Ways, Bobby.”

“Anytime,” he answers and hangs up.

  
He tells Dean everything that Bobby came up with later, during lunch.

“And you still think something else is going on? Not only a simple case of a hunt gone wrong and the body never found? Because that shit happens and more often than not-”

“You saw his house. No, there’s definitely something going on there. I have this feeling.”

“What are you dreaming about?” Dean asks out of the blue.

Sam nearly chokes on a cherry tomato.

“Lollipops and candy canes…”

“Yeah, not gonna work this time,” Dean says, putting his sandwich down on the paper plate.

“You should finish that first,” Sam says with a nod at Dean’s food.

“That bad, hmm?”

“Worse,” Sam admits.

  
 **~5~**

  
  
“There might be a Chupacabra in Jersey!” Gerard says, excited.

Mikey looks up from the magazine he was reading and raises an eyebrow. “A Chupacabra in _Jersey_?”

“You know, it could be like with racoons or foxes or something? They're leaving their homes and changing their habits because they need food and-”

“Were you watching Discovery Channel again?” Mikey interrupts his brother.

“Maybe, but I still think there is something in Jersey worth checking out.”

“You're itching to be on the road again.” Mikey puts his magazine aside and looks at him closely.

“Yeah, it's not that I don't like being here, it's just that I like being out there as well. I love being out there on the road. Helping people, hunting things.”

“I know. Did you tell Bob about it?”

“Yeah.”

“William?”

“Not yet...” Gerard says, running a hand through his hair.

“You want to take him with us!” Mikey realises. He didn't see that one coming. Must be a new development, then.

“He is doing so much better with us around. Emilie said that, too. He needs someone with him, and Bob and Emilie aren't always home.”

“This isn't really our home, Gerard.”

“It's the closest thing to a home we have now. And no, I didn't forget about Helena's house. I know it's ours and that we could just go back and…” he waves his hand, dismissive, and finishes with: “live lives like normal people. But that's just not us.” _’And you know it.’_

Mikey sighs and nods. “I don't think we should take him on a hunting trip. It's just too dangerous, and he has no idea how to even hold a gun.”

“You don't think he could be a good hunter.”

“I don't think he should be a hunter in the first place.” Mikey answers seriously.

Gerard nods, but doesn't say Mikey's right. “You're still coming with, right?”

“You know it's not a Chupacabra, right?” Mikey asks.

“You can never be sure.”

“Yeah. I'm gonna get my stuff and say bye to William.”

~+~  
Jersey is like Gerard remembers it and worse for it. Same streets he grew up on, same streets he got beat up on. He never used his skills to defend himself. Mikey always said it was stupid, Gerard just never felt very good in his own skin when he was a kid and later when he was a teenager. Mikey told him that most kids don't, but that they're just better at pretending. Maybe his brother was right then.

 _’Of course I was.’_

“Stop rummaging in my memories.”

“Stop being all melancholy, nostalgic, and emoresque.”

“Emoresque isn’t even a word!” Gerard answers.

“It is, you just used it,” Mikey says, smug.

Gerard itches for a cigarette, but he always does after a long car-ride. _’Motel?’_ he asks.

“Motel,” Mikey answers.

Gerard nods and drives them to the nearest motel he can find. He's feeling on edge for some reason, maybe because Jersey was home for so long. He just can't shake it off. He isn't even sure he wants to shake it off.

~+~  
“Nice car,” he says to the guy leaning on the Impala as he passes the car with his brother.

“Thanks!” the guy answers, beaming, obviously proud of his baby. Gerard knows that feeling.

Mikey throws his bag on the bed and himself right after. He looks like Gerard feels: tired and worn down. Gerard sits down on his bed and lights two cigarettes. He hands one to Mikey, who takes it. Their fingers brush for a moment.

“I don't want to sleep alone,” Mikey says.

“Good, because I don't want to either.” Gerard keeps sitting and smoking in silence for a while and when they're done they push the beds together and climb in. Mikey grabs his wrist and holds on until he's asleep.

~+~  
Mikey’s already gone – hopefully to get coffee – when Gerard wakes up. He feels a bit groggy and disoriented, but he usually does when he wakes up. Not the best trait in a hunter, but he never got it out of his system; maybe because he never had to. Mikey was always up and alert – still is. He puts on his hoodie and gets outside to smoke his first morning cigarette and wait for his brother.

The guy from the day before is standing beside the Impala, drumming his fingers impatiently on the hood. Gerard walks over slowly. He recognises the song.

“Good taste in music too, hmmm?” he asks, exhaling smoke.

The guy tenses and then relaxes. “Hmm?”

“There is no wrong time for Metallica,” Gerard answers.

The guy smiles. “My brother would disagree with you on that one.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, he's always bitching about me updating my music collection.” Gerard looks questioningly at him. “I quote: ‘For one, they're cassettes,’” he rolls his eyes and Gerard smiles, exhaling smoke.

“Your car is a classic, so the music should be too,” he says.

“Dude! Exactly!”

Gerard wants to say something but then he sees Mikey and smiles at his brother.

“Bonding with strangers or bothering strangers, again, Gee?” he asks, handing a cup to his brother. Their fingers brush again. Just Mikey making sure Gerard is okay.

“Thanks, I like to think we're bonding,” he answers with a look at the guy.

“Definitely bonding,” the guy says and Gerard smiles. Mikey always thought that Gerard looked fucking gorgeous when he smiles.

 _’Shut up!’_ Gerard says in his mind.

 _’I like to see you blush,’_ Mikey shrugs mentally.

“You staying here?” Mikey asks, stealing Gerard's cigarette.

 _’Fucker.’_

“For a while, yeah.”

“Work or pleasure?”

“It's Jersey, Gee,” Mikey says and the guy laughs.

 _’HE looks fucking gorgeous when he laughs.’_ Gerard says.

“Work,” the guy answers.

“Right,” Gerard says, a bit sheepish. He takes a sip of his coffee, which doesn't even taste horrible.

“This is surprisingly good coffee!” he exclaims.

“I know, right? I found it at this corner shop a few streets from the diner,” Mikey says.

The guy looks between them. “Wanna have a sip?” Gerard asks him.

“No, thanks,” he replies, still a bit amused.

“Oh, hey, I'm Mikey and that is Gee, by the way,” Mikey throws in. “I'm sure he didn't introduce himself, because he always forgets.”

“I totally was going to!” Gerard protests.

“Dean,” Dean says.

Gerard and Mikey nod.

~+~  
Later, when they're doing research on whatever animal is killing people at night in the park close to Helena's house, Gerard doesn't shut up about the car.

“You have a crush on the car!” Mikey says, pushing printouts away. He can't look at this anymore. Autopsy reports always make him hungry.

“I don't. Are you hungry?”

“I always am when I read autopsy reports. It's the weirdest thing,” Mikey says, stretching. His shirt rides up and Gerard can see the bruise on his hip where he was knocked into a counter a few days ago while they were fighting a poltergeist. Nasty thing.

“Let's go to the diner then.” Gerard gets up and hopes Mikey lets the thing with the car go. To his relief, Mikey does.

  
 **~6~**

  
  
Dean shoves the printouts aside and sighs. He has enough of the autopsy reports. They unsettle his stomach. He leans his head on the back of the couch and stares at the ceiling for a while, while Sam still reads on.

“I'm starving,” he says into the silence.

“I have no idea where all the pie you're eating goes,” Sam remarks, but doesn't interrupt his reading.

“Are you any closer to finding a lead on what this thing might be?”

“I would say a Chupacabra, if it weren't so...uncommon,” Sam answers, carefully.

“Uncommon? You mean fucking freaky. There is no way a Chupacabra is rummaging the streets of fucking Jersey and you know it.”

“The next bet would be a vampire. A very messy one. They aren't that messy, usually.”

“I know. It just doesn't add up.” Dean closes his eyes and counts to ten in his head. His stomach makes a noise. He can hear Sam push the papers away.

“Okay, let's go grab something to eat,” he says.

Dean grins. Finally.

~+~  
Dean chooses the small diner because of the coffee. He has a theory about diners: if the coffee is good, the food is too. It’s more like a proven fact by now. It was a theory when he was ten.

Maybe a part of him is hoping to see Gee again. He seemed like a nice enough dude and Dean doesn't... well, he doesn't make friends, never did, because things always were complicated, but it doesn't mean he doesn't like to chat with people about music and cars if he has the chance. Nothing is made to be forever. Even an hour shared with a total stranger can change your life – he learned that the hard way, but it doesn't stop him from trying to connect. To be part of the normal world.

Some days it’s easier than others.

Sam is charming the waitress at the counter while he finds them a table at the back, so they can talk about the case. He has a clear view of the door – like Dad taught them. It's always good to know where the exits are.

~+~  
Sam is choking on a tomato, because maybe Dean was being a dick again (and he’s not admitting anything), when Dean sees Gee and Mikey. He doesn't even think, just waves them over.

“Hi,” Gee says, “fancy meeting you here.”

“I have a theory about the quality of coffee and food in diners,” Dean answers and Gee laughs.

“I know that theory!”

Mikey rolls his eyes at his brother. Sam has his bitch face on, Dean ignores it.

“Wanna sit?” Dean asks. Sam kicks him under the table, he ignores that as well. Something passes between the brothers, but it's too fast to make any sense of and then Gee nods.

“It sucks that you can't smoke in here. I kind of wish we were in Europe,” Gee says as he sits down.

Mikey rolls his eyes again. ”I wish you would stop bemoaning our not living in Europe,” he sighs.

“I know you wish for that too, from time to time.”

“Only if you're preparing The Speech again,” Mikey replies with a smile and Gee smiles back.

“So, how is the whatever you are having?” Gee wants to know.

“Good, I bet the pie is delicious here. I'll take a slice of everything,” Dean grins. Sam kicks him again under the table and Dean gives him a look. “My brother Sammy, Mikey and Gee,” Dean introduces.

“It's _Sam_ ,” his brother says with emphasis. Dean shrugs and knows Sam wants to ask a billion questions and maybe kick him again, but at the moment the waitress decides to appear and take orders. Thank god for small favours.

“I'm having what he has and coffee. You know your coffee is really delicious?” Gee asks her. She blushes a bit and Dean suppresses a grin, bites into his burger instead.  
He's seen people working the charm, but it seems that Gee is naturally charming. Kind of effortlessly so.

“We’ll also take the pie,” Mikey says.

“Which one?” she asks.

“A slice of everything you have!” Gee replies, putting the menu down. She gives him a look and he smiles at her. “It's just the day for it.”

“Yes, it seems so,” she says, shaking her head lightly. She looks fond, Dean thinks. Something about Gee makes you like him, makes you trust him, makes you want to be close or something. Or maybe he's losing it, and fast. Wouldn’t be the first time.

~+~  
Gee is chattering away with Dean like they're best friends since before they were even born. Gee is waving his hands in a way that could be irritating, but really isn't. It looks natural, everything he does seems just so fucking genuine. Sam isn't sure he likes him, but he isn't sure he _doesn't_ like him either. That could be a problem. Maybe he just feels left out, a bit jealous. Mikey, on the other hand, doesn't seem to care about any of this. He's just reading while he's eating something with dead animal on it. Sam is trying to be vegan, he just can't stand meat around him right now. Even the smell of it when it's cooked makes him want to go outside and get some fresh air. He knows it's because of Jess. He saw her burning, but he also could smell her flesh. It's hard to forget that kind of thing.

He really wants to kick his brother again, but Dean would ignore it anyway, so he tries to bond over big brothers being douche bags. Unsurprisingly, it’s really easy.

~+~  
Dean is feeling kind of happy and like a real person for a change, while Sam is still staring at him.

“What?”

“Are you out of your fucking mind?” he asks. He isn’t really pissed off, not like that one time when Dean took the twins back to the motel room he was sharing with Sam.

“I have no idea what the hell you are talking about. You’re keeping in touch with your old friends, for god’s sake,” he answers.

Sam sighs, throwing himself on the bed. He looks at the ceiling and not at his brother. “That’s different and you know it.”

“Yes, it is, because I won’t see them ever again and they’ll never know what I do for a living. They won’t try to find me either.”

“That’s not fair,” Sam says and Dean thinks he sounds whinny.

“Nothing is. That mom died isn’t, that Jess died isn’t, that Dad is who the fuck knows where leaving me alone isn’t, either.”

“Us,” Sam says.

“What?”

“Us, he left us alone. He left us. Not just you.”

Dean wants to point out that Sam left first, but he doesn’t want to have that conversation again. It always gets out of hand and he doesn’t think he can handle a screaming match right now. He doesn’t want to either.

“It’s nothing,” Dean says and Sam doesn’t answer.

It’s so typical of Sam to be a bitch about this shit.

  
 **~7~**

  


Mikey is so not rolling his eyes at Gee, because - okay, he is so doing it. Behind his brother’s back, because his brother is being a douche again. It’s nothing new.

“It _could be_ a Chupacabra!”

“We’ve been over this, weren’t we? There is not proof there is something like a Chupacabra. And don’t even start with the X-Files! That isn’t real.”

Gee gives him a look. “In our line of work everything could be real.”

“Not aliens,” Mikey gives back.

“We just haven’t encountered them yet,” Gee points out. It’s his default argument when it comes to this, or the Chupacabra.

“You just want to see it, hunt it what the hell ever, because it’s a vampire animal.”

“Exactly! A vampire animal. How the hell does it work?”

“Like zombie-dogs, I guess.”

“There are no such things as zombie-dogs and you know it. Don’t confuse movies with reality again.”

“Sometimes it’s really hard to draw the line,” Mikey grins.

Gee throws a pillow at him. He misses, because it’s Gee and Mikey’s his brother. Gee never ever aims at him. He always just aims a bit to the left. It’s predictable.

~+~  
William’s having breakfast with a very sleepy looking Emilie. He doesn’t ask her why she looks so alive and yet sleepy at the same time. He couldn’t exactly hear them last night, but he knows what she and Bob are doing behind closed doors.

“You look like death warmed over,” she says.

“I feel okay.” He does feel okay; not great, but okay.

“You miss the crazies?”

“The Ways?”

“Who else?” she asks, as she’s sipping her tea.

“Well, it’s so quiet when they’re not here,” he admits.

“You could go out and make friends and bring them home. Did you think about school?”

“I don’t think I can handle other people right now,” he answers. He really doesn’t think he can handle people who are unfamiliar and he’s afraid that somehow Rick will find him, anyway. He doesn’t share that information, that worry with anyone, but it’s there nevertheless.

It was Rick who made him this thing anyway, so it’s only natural to fear him. It’s stupid, because he knows that Gee would shoot that bastard on sight. Or Bob, Bob wouldn’t even blink once or think for a second about it.

“We won’t make you, you know that, but you can’t stay here forever, and I don’t mean in this house. I mean in this shell,” she sets the mug aside and grabs his hand, gently. “You have to face the world. You need to be brave, like you were before…”

“I wasn’t brave at all.”

“You let Gerard help you and I think that was brave,” she answers.

Maybe it was, but he was just so desperate to get away from everything that he didn’t care. It wasn’t even an option staying one minute longer. He didn’t think they would help him, he did think they would do something, maybe he would’ve died, but even that was better than living like he did. He doesn’t want to risk being a freak again. He isn’t one here, because everyone – except Bob - is different in this house. It’s a refuge for everything odd and unnatural.

“I’ll think about it.”

“Maybe we can just hire a teacher for you? Someone who is roughly your age? A tutor of some sorts. I don’t like that you’re alone here most of the time.”

“I like being alone.”

“I know, but you can’t bury yourself in this house alive; I’m sure Gee and Mikey wouldn’t want that for you, either.”

William nods, he has no idea what they would want. He has only a vague idea what he wants and it’s big and scary, so he doesn’t think about it too much. And he doesn’t talk about it at all.

She lets go of his hand and takes her mug. “I know you’re trying.”

He thinks she sounds sad, but he really has no idea what the hell he can do to make it better. He isn’t ready for this. Isn’t ready to be with kids his age who don’t know who he is, who don’t know _what_ he is. And he doesn’t want them to find out, either.

~+~  
Gerard is pretty sure this is a Chupacabra or a very messy vampire. He hopes it isn’t a very messy vampire. It would be such a waste of…well, hope, he guesses.

He parks the car and looks at his brother.

“I really hope it’s not a messy vampire,” he says.

“I really hope it is one. We know how to deal with them,” Mikey answers. Gerard makes a face.

“This is not an eternal quest, you know?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Gee…”

“Whatever, I’m being nostalgic, or silly, or just plain crazy again.”

 _’No, you’re not crazy,’_ Mikey says.

 _’And that comes from the boy who can read minds.’_

 _’Only yours and right back at you.’_

 _’I just admitted that I’m crazy,’_ Gerard answers, amused.

“Let’s go,” Mikey replies, throwing Gerard a smile.

~+~  
There are things in the dark that are really a lot more freaky and scary than everyone knows. Well, maybe not everyone. Maybe the hunters know a lot about a lot of things, maybe they just know enough to be dangerous as hell.

~+~  
By the time they leave the abandoned house, Gerard is really glad it wasn’t a Chupacabra. He feels sick and he knows Mikey does as well.

All the small bodies. He presses his eyes shut firmly, like he could block out all of it that way, even though he knows he can’t do it. It’s burned into his brain for ever and ever and ever. Until he dies. This whole thing is so much worse because Mikey knows about it too. Mikey’s horror over the things they found in that house is a perfect mirror of Gerard’s own.

“I want to go home,” Gerard says into the dead silence of the night.

Mikey nods.

~+~  
They pack their stuff, pay the bill and drive through the night without a single stop. The radio is playing some old school rock that keeps them awake while they’re taking turns at the wheel.

Gerard feels like falling to his knees as soon as they’re past the gates of Bob’s property. Mikey doesn’t look much better. The horror, the small bodies in their small beds, are playing on repeat in his mind. He tries not to think about it, but it’s really hard.  
The house is quiet when they enter it silently. Gerard doesn’t know what day it is anymore, so he has no idea if Bob is home or if Emilie is working a late night shift at the hospital.

 _’I’m going to bed,’_ Mikey says and Gerard nods. He can’t go to sleep now, he just knows it. He is dead tired, but he just can’t.

 _’I’m going to make some coffee.’_

 _’Gee…’_

 _’I’ll be there in an hour or two, I promise,’_ Gerard answers.

 _’I’m not waiting up,’_ Mikey says with a soft smile.

 _’Grab an extra blanket,’_ Gerard replies.

Mikey nods.

~+~  
William is feeling restless all the time. He has no idea why - scratch that. He knows exactly why. He is not behaving according to his nature, that’s why. He didn’t have any time to shift at will. He doesn’t want people to see him like this, in the process of becoming something else, someone else. He doesn’t want Emilie to know that he shifts into her or Gerard. He doesn’t want to shift into Gerard, but it comes naturally to him, because Gerard feels safe. He feels brave and beautiful when he’s Gerard.

He gets up and goes down to the kitchen. The house is really quiet with Bob being out, helping someone figuring something out and Emilie working late at the hospital.  
He nearly has a heart attack when he enters the kitchen and finds a person sitting in the darkness at the table.

“Why are you up?” Gerard asks. He sounds tired.

“Why are you being a creep that creeps around in the dead of the night?” William asks back.

Gerard makes a sound that could be a laugh one day when it grows up. “Because I can…”

“What a bullshit answer,” William says, leaning against the door. He isn’t afraid, not of Gerard. He might be creeped out like hell right now, because Gerard is looking and behaving strange, but he isn’t afraid of him. He’s afraid _for_ him.

“Why are you up?”

“Because I can be,” William answers.

“Fair enough.”

“Are you guys staying for a while?” William wants to know.

“Maybe, possibly. You want tea?”

“No, thanks. Just water. I can get it myself.”

“Is it okay if I smoke?” Gerard asks.

William shrugs. “I really don’t care. It’s not only my house and you never asked before.”

“I’m asking now,” Gerard says, something in his voice irritates William like hell. He can’t pin it down, but it’s there. It’s like he wants to make William mad. Like he wants to provoke _something_.

“Whatever it is, don’t bring it home,” William says softly. He brushes his fingers against Gerard’s shoulder as he crosses the kitchen to the sink. He hears Gerard sigh.

“Sometime it’s hard to leave it outside,” he admits.

William knows that. He can’t do it. Still can’t do it on some days, on some nights. The years he spent being _something_ just don’t stay outside.

“I know.” William wants to ask what happened, but he doesn’t think Gerard will tell him, so he doesn’t. “Want me to stay up with you?”

“I won’t ask, if you won’t ask.”

“I don’t think you would tell me, anyway,” William says, sitting down.

“I _know_ you won’t tell me anyway,” Gerard gives back.

  
 **~8~**

  
  
Dean is kind of totally pissed off. Sam is a bit amused, that bitch. He has no idea how his brother can be amused by all this. Someone stole their gig!

“Well, it’s not the first time we crossed paths with other hunters,” Sam says.

“We didn’t cross paths, we…they stole our hunt!” Dean answers.

“They were just faster than us. They didn’t steal anything,” Sam points out reasonably. Dean kind of hates it when Sam is being reasonable.

“Still…”

“And I’m glad we didn’t have to deal with it,” Sam admits, quietly.

Dean isn’t so sure. He itches to kill something and this was a good opportunity. Could have been if it wasn’t stolen. The autopsy records were horrible enough, that’s true, and Dean wasn’t too keen on dealing with the dead children. He didn’t know about them before. They only found out after the police recovered the bodies from the burned down house. Someone wanted to get it right.

Dean is sure they would’ve had done the same. To burn everything to ashes is the easiest way to assure that the undead evil things stay dead.

“Let’s get drunk and then find another gig,” Dean answers after a while.

Sam nods.

~+~  
Finding a new gig isn’t really hard. There is always something that you can hunt. Mostly vengeful spirits; the easy salt-and-burn is a routine they’ve had since he was ten and Sam a lot younger. It’s like an old comfort blanket. Pretty messed up of course, but that’s their life and they don’t know any other.

~+~  
So they’re on the road again as soon as the police are done with the case. Not knowing what went down and not really caring. Or that’s how Dean sees it. Maybe it’s better that way. Sane people shouldn’t care or know too much about the things that go bump in the night. If Dad didn’t know, his and Sam’s life would’ve been a lot different. Eventually, Dad would’ve let go of the grief and maybe even married another woman. And he and Sam would’ve had a normal childhood, or what passes for it these days.

It’s not often that Dean thinks about things he can’t really have and never had. It doesn’t matter, anyway. It’s not like he can change it now.

Sam tried and it didn’t work out. You can’t have a real and normal life when you’re lying to everyone you know and that’s exactly what Sam was doing the whole time he was away from him and Dad.

It was a valid plan, of course. Dad taught them both well, how to lie about everything in their lives.

Sometimes Dean feels really angry at Dad for all this shit, but he can’t stay mad long, because the other thing Dad taught them was that family was the most important thing in the world.

And here they were, with Dad missing.

Well, fuck.

~+~  
Hunting things is a way to deal with everything for Sam. He feels okay for a while when he doesn’t have to think farther than the next hunt, and there is always a next hunt.

Always, it’s like the evil things just don’t sleep at all.

For Dean, it’s his life; always was, and now a way to stay in touch with Sam, maybe. A way to occupy himself until he finds - they find - Dad.

  
 **~9~**

  
  
Sometimes, Gerard thinks he can’t deal with all the shit he sees on a daily basis anymore. Some mornings are just harder than others. Some nights are outright horrible.

Mikey turns around in his sleep and snuggles closer to Gerard. Gee can feel his body warmth. He knows, he just knows that he would’ve gone crazy without Mikey being there all the time. Maybe Mikey feels the same way on some nights. He grabs Gerard’s wrist in his sleep and holds on.

Gerard lays wide awake until the first rays of sunshine break through the half closed curtains, then he untangles himself from his brother - who sometimes is like a really bony octopus - and goes down to the kitchen.

~+~  
William is standing at the counter making tea when Gerard enters. Gerard feels a bit like a dick for being such a, well, dick last night to William. William didn’t do anything wrong and the things he saw, the small bodies, were not his fault.

William isn’t a monster, he’s a victim and maybe not even that anymore.

“Coffee?” William asks, without turning around. He seems tense; the lines of his body are defensive.

“Yeah, please, I feel like death warmed over.”

William nods. Gerard sits down at the table and puts his head in his hands. He closes his eyes, listening to William making coffee and something to eat.

He can smell toast.

“Did you shower when you came back? You still smell like smoke,” William asks.

“I did shower. You can smell that?” He sniffs at his skin, it smells clean to him. A bit sweaty; like warm bed and even warmer body heat.

William shrugs. “I guess. You wanna talk about it now?”

“Not really,” he answers and thinks: not ever.

William puts a mug and toast on a plate in front of Gerard and sits down at the other side of the table.

“I couldn't smell it last night,” William says, taking a sip of his tea.

Oh, Gerard thinks, things are getting weird. “Why do you think you can do it now?”

“I can do it from time to time. It's just...” he bites his lip and looks away. Gerard nudges his pinkie with one finger and William takes a deep breath. “I didn't shift,” he says.

“I don't understand,” Gerard states confused.

“What you guys don't know is that we need to shift, it makes us weak and crazy when we don't... I didn't shift. I feel restless and everything is just sharper. I could smell Bob on Emilie yesterday morning,” he explains softly and still doesn't look at Gerard.

“You need to do what you need to do,” Gerard whispers. He knows this is very difficult for William. Opening up and sharing what he is, what he needs.

“I can't do it with all these people in the house,” William answers.

Gerard nods. “Okay.” He stands up and looks at William.

“What?”

“We're going out. I know this little bed and breakfast a bit away. I need to get away from everything and you need to shift,” Gerard says.

William shakes his head. “I can't.”

“I won't watch. I just don't want you to do it alone, Bill, come one.”

William still shakes his head, but he gets up. His arms are crossed over his small chest. He looks like he won't take a single step.

“Don't you want to see something else? And I promise you'll be safe with me.”

“Okay,” William whispers.

~+~  
William gets out of the car and breathes. The bed and breakfast is a cottage. A small thing with only two rooms. One bedroom, one big kitchen and a bathroom, but the bathroom has a tub. There is not another house in sight for miles. Grass and flowers everywhere he looks.

“You lied,” William says softly, but he isn't mad at Gerard at all.

“No, it really is a bed and breakfast of some sorts. This is perfect for us,” he answers.

“It is.”

He sits down in front of the house and watches Gerard smoke. The sun is a pale ball on the horizon. It's still getting cold in the evenings and he shivers a bit, but he doesn't want to go back inside. Not yet.

~+~  
 _’You took William to the cottage?’_ Mikey asks.

 _’Yeah, I needed to get away for a while. I left you a note.’_

 _’Save the trees, Gee. We don't need notes. Don't waste paper.’_

 _’Old habits and all that,’_ Gerard answers, amused. He’s making dinner while William is in the tub. Bathing or shifting, Gerard doesn't know, and he isn't going to ask.

 _’So, he needs to shift.’_

 _’It makes him vulnerable,’_ Gerard answers.

 _’It makes them all vulnerable,’_ Mikey says.

 _’I really don't want to think about this now, or talk, or whatever we're doing.’_ He adds pepper and tastes. _’Delicious.’_

 _’You're making Helena's pasta sauce!’_ Mikey's voice sounds accusing.

 _’Yeah... comfort food.’_

Mikey sighs in his head. It sounds a bit like waves crashing at the shore. It's fucking beautiful, Gerard thinks. Mikey laughs. _’You're an artist, Gee; a strange, strange brand of artist.’_

 _’Big news,’_ Gerard answers.

 _’Just be careful. I don't like it when you're alone somewhere.’_

 _’I'm never alone,’_ Gerard replies.

~+~  
William is watching his body closely. It changes at will, he doesn't think about anyone special. It would hurt more if he would try to shape it into something, to make it into someone. He knows before it happens that he'll end up looking like Gerard. Since he masturbated in front of the mirror all these weeks ago looking like Gerard it's the form that feels safest to shift into.

His bones shorten and everything starts to hurt like hell. He wants to rip the skin away from his body. Rip everything away until he can see his beating heart. It's so strange to see your own skin fall away, being replaced by new skin, a whole new form. When he can bear the pain, he touches the wall carefully with his fingertips. It even feels different than before. The world shifts with him.

Bob told him that the shifters can access the minds of the people they shift into, but he never could do that. He doesn't want to, either - it would feel wrong. It feels wrong already, being someone else. He feels a soft shame when he touches this body that is and isn’t his at the same time. He could never bear it if Gerard knew, if anyone knew that he touches this body in a sexual way.

He gets into the tub and closes his eyes. It feels nice and warm. Water helps with the pain, he has no idea why, but it does. He grabs the edge of the bathtub hard and breathes. In and out and in again. He tries to not think. He lets his mind wander while he listens to his breathing and the noises outside the door. Outside the window is the wind howling. He can hear dogs bark in the distance.

It was a good idea to come here. It would maybe have been a better idea to come here with Emilie or Bob, not Gerard; but, well, there is nothing he can do about it now.

~+~  
“You look better,” Gerard says as William sits down at the table.

“I feel better.”

“So...you wanna stay a bit longer, or do you want to head home as soon as you can?” Gerard asks while he's putting food on their plates. He doesn't want to go back, not yet. He needs to be a person for a while before he can be a hunter again. Maybe that's what keeps him and Mikey sane.

“I would like to stay a bit longer,” William admits.

Gerard nods. “It's decided then.”

  
 **~10~**

  
  
“Bobby has something in the country,” Sam says.

“In the country?” Dean asks, spitting toothpaste into the sink.

“Yes. Some wild dogs or something?”

“He isn't sure?”

“No, he isn't, and he’s helping Rufus with a vampire-thing a few states over. We're closest to wild dog country,” Sam answers.

“Great. I love the countryside,” Dean grins.

“I know you only want to kill something because we don't have a lead on Dad or on the thing that killed Pastor Jim,” Sam answers.

It's true enough, Dean thinks, but he only shuts the bathroom door with a soft bang. He doesn't want to talk about his _feelings_. Not right now. Sometimes he wishes he and Sam were psychic or something. Not talking about this and still knowing totally counts as a win in his book. He spits and rinses his mouth, and then takes a shower just for the hell of it. Sam can wait, or read and wait, or curse and wait - Dean doesn't care right now.

He thinks he needs a fucking vacation from being himself.

~+~  
They stay at a cottage in a small town where everyone looks at them like they’re the most suspicious things the townspeople have ever seen. Maybe it’s only Dean they look at like this. Sam with his puppy eyes, well, it’s Sam with his puppy eyes.

Kind of unfair that they trust _him_.

~+~  
Dean is talking up a girl in front of the only store – he was sent out for groceries, while Sam is doing research – when he sees Gee.

Gee sees him just a second later and his face lights up. It’s a fucking miracle, Dean thinks. He looks really young that way.

“Dean!” he says. He’s holding a cup of coffee in one hand and a bag in the other.

“Grocery shopping?” he asks.

Gee nods. “What are you doing here?”

“Me and Sam have a vacation from work,” he smiles and doesn’t say from being us, because that sounds really stupid even in his head. “And you?”

“Me and William are staying in a small cottage outside of town for a while. I needed to get away from myself,” Gee answers and Dean thinks, wow. “You guys want to come over for dinner?”

“I don’t think…” he begins, and then thinks ‘what the hell?’ “Yeah, sure. How’s your cooking?”

“Okay, I guess, but William makes really good pies!” Gee answers with a grin.

“Deal!” Dean replies. Gee gives him the address and disappears a few minutes of small talk later into the countryside.

Dean isn’t stupid, meeting someone twice by chance isn’t really a coincidence. He is suspicious of it, but not enough to kill Gee on the spot. Sometimes these things just happen.

~+~  
“And you said yes, while we’re working a job?” Sam asks.

“I find it a bit suspicious because we’re working a job! What are the odds?” Dean gives back. Sam sits down on the bed and messages his temples like he’s having a headache.

“I have no idea…he doesn’t seem like a killer to me.”

“In our line of business, no one does. And everyone is a suspect.” Dean doesn’t point out that they don’t look like killers, but could kill anyone with their bare hands if they wanted, if need should be. Sam knows that. Sam always knew that.

“Fine, let’s have dinner with the suspicious coffee addict then, like normal people.”

Dean rolls his eyes and doesn’t call Sam a bitch.

~+~  
Gee opens the door with a cigarette in his hand and a big smile on his face.

“Dean!” he says and steps aside. “Sam.” He nods in Sam’s direction and says: “So, coffee? Tea? Whisky?”

“Something smells good,” Sam answers and then: “Tea would be nice.”

Dean wants to roll his eyes at him, but he’s secretly glad that Sam has manners.

“Yeah, William is making something delicious without any meat in it.”

Dean groans. “You a vegetarian, really?”

“I’m losing coolness points for this, right?” Gee asks with a laugh.

Dean nods. “Totally dude!”

~+~  
William is more a boy than anything else and Dean isn’t sure what the deal between them is. Gee seems very protective and William is very quiet at the table. He answers only when he’s asked something. It’s cool, Dean thinks, if he’s shy, but it seems to Dean that this too-thin boy has something to hide. He sure as hell has a secret, but everyone has those.

“So, I heard about wolves,” Sam says as they’re eating pie. It’s delicious. This William boy makes very delicious things. And Dean also thought for a second that he was a girl. He has such a pretty face.

“Here?” Gee asks.

William gives him a look. He looks a bit uneasy, Dean thinks.

“A friend told us about it. Some sheep were killed and a few pets,” Sam says.

William takes a slow sip of his tea.

“Sheep?” Gee asks his interest piqued.

“Well, yeah. I was just wondering if you guys saw or heard anything at night?” Sam asks.

“No, I didn’t, you?” he turns to William and William shakes his head.

 _‘Why do I not believe you,’_ Dean thinks. Something just doesn’t sit right with him. Something about William’s behaviour is strange. He just can’t pin it down.

“Okay, I just thought because you guys are out here alone at night you should know.”

“Thanks, but we can take care of ourselves,” Gee answers. He pours coffee into his mug and then puts another slice of pie on his plate. “You want some too?” he asks Dean and Dean nods. He can’t not take another one. It’s just too delicious.

~+~  
Sam is silent and broody on the way to their cottage. He gets out, opens the door and sits down on one of the beds.

“Something is strange about them,” he says.

“No shit,” Dean answers.

“It’s this William boy. How he doesn’t touch anyone. He didn’t even touch you when he handed you the pie,” Sam says.

Dean noticed. He nods. “Maybe he’s really fucking shy.”

“Yeah, right. Maybe something happened to him. Something horrible.”

“You don’t think Gee has something to do with it, do you?”

“It didn’t look like William was afraid of Gee, he looked like he was uncomfortable with other people.”

Dean seriously doesn’t like where this is going. He hates every form of abuse and sexual abuse is the worst of all. He wants to kill anyone who would do that to a child.

“I don’t like where this is going, Sam,” he answers.

“Well, we don’t know for sure and it’s just a hunch.”

“We should do research on the wolves and not try to pry into people’s private lives.”

“That’s what we always do,” Sam answers with a tired smile.

~+~  
Sam has another nightmare that night. He wakes up to total darkness outside the window and sits up. He hates this. He dreamed about William. He dreamed this dream he had weeks ago about that kid being abused. And this time the kid had William’s face. He gets out of bed and steps onto the front porch of the cottage. The wind is chilly, but it calms him down. He has no idea if this dream means something. He hopes it doesn’t.  
It would be too horrible to have to face these things now that he knows about this kid. Now that he knows his name and has seen him, eaten his pie for god’s sake.

He knows he won’t be able to go back to sleep at all right now so he grabs his shoes and takes a walk.

Night in the country is quiet and dark, but calming as hell. He remembers that one summer Dad took them camping. It was, of course, some kind of survival training, but it was still fun. He doesn’t think about that too much. It used to make him mad and, now with Dad missing it only makes him... he doesn’t really know. Still mad, maybe.

~+~  
Sam sees the boy and stops. Just stops in his motions. The boy is thin and lanky. His skin seems really pale in the moonlight. Sam isn’t sure, but he thinks they boy is naked.  
He realises that he wandered off a lot farther than he thought. He must be close to the Cottage Gee and William are staying in.

Sam watches the boy’s skin ripple, or it seems like it. It looks a bit like water; and then he screams. It doesn’t sound human to Sam’s ears, it sounds like a howl, like something dying. He wants to put his hands over his ears, but knows that he can’t. He can’t even breathe too loudly.

And then the boy turns and runs.

~+~  
Sam is still pretty shaken up when he enters their cottage. He can’t be sure it was William, because he didn’t see his face, but he still thinks it was William.

To be honest, he’s pretty sure William is the kid from his nightmares. He feels dirty and doesn’t know why.

Dean is sitting at the table looking pissed off. “No note and you didn’t take your cell or gun. Are you fucking stupid?” he asks, not giving Sam a chance to say a thing.

“I think William is the boy from my dreams.”

“What?”

“I think William is the boy from my dreams,” he repeats.

“How?”

“I saw him, I think I saw him tonight outside. His skin rippled and he howled. I bet there are no wolves or anything supernatural except this kid around here.”

“Great. You have a lead. I knew there was something fishy about us meeting Gee here.”

Sam bites his lip. He isn’t so sure, to be honest. “I don’t know what I saw. I had a nightmare and went out and I think I saw a boy that looked like William, but maybe I dreamed about him because we talked about him yesterday.”

“Yeah, right. What are the chances?”

“High?”

“If we were any other people sure, but we aren’t. We are Winchesters and, by definition, cursed,” Dean answers. Sam can hear something like bitterness in his voice.

“We aren’t cursed,” he says, but he doesn’t believe it and now he knows that Dean doesn’t believe it, either.

“Whatever. So the kid is a what?”

“I have no idea,” Sam admits. “Something. Call Bobby? I need a shower.”

“You call Bobby, I’m going out to get coffee,” Dean answers.

“You’re not going to confront Gee!” Sam says hotly.

“I said I’m going for coffee, if I should see him getting his fix, well…I can be charming as fuck.”

“He’s not a chick.”

“I’m adorable. Everyone wants me.” He puts his jacket on, grabs his keys and throws Sam a smile.

“Jerk,” Sam says.

“Bitch,” he answers and is out of the door.

Sam sighs. There’s nothing he can do about it now, so he takes a shower.

  
 **~11~**

  
  
Gerard is having his second cup of coffee when he sees Dean enter the diner. He waves. Dean sits down opposite him at the table a bit later.

“Did you find your wolves?” he asks with a smile.

“Funny you mentioning it. Sam saw something yesterday night and he heard a howl. Close to your cottage. You saw or heard anything?”

“No,” Gerard says. He takes a sip of his coffee. He is an excellent liar, it comes with the job he and Mikey do.

Dean looks like a cat that got the cream and it’s kind of cocky, kind of really fucking sexy. He’s glad Mikey tuned him out for now. It’s embarrassing how much he likes that guy without really knowing him and he has a suspicion that Dean and Sam aren’t just your average brothers on a road trip.

“You’re lying,” Dean says after a while of silence. He takes a sip of coffee.

“Why would I lie about something like that?” Gerard asks. He is feeling totally calm, but he always feels that way when he’s about to kill something. He really doesn’t want to kill someone like Dean right now.

“I don’t know, yet.”

“Whatever you’re doing, just don’t. Leave it alone,” Gerard says, his voice has a sharp note to it. He didn’t want to make this a threat, but here it is. It comes naturally to him.

“Is this a threat?”

Gerard shrugs and takes a sip of coffee. He really needs a cigarette. Like right the fuck now. “A warning,” he answers.

Dean grins like this is all a game.

~+~  
William is sitting at the table, writing something into his notebook he doesn’t let anyone see. Sometimes Gerard really would love to get into his head, like he can with Mikey. Gerard says hello and sits down on the couch. He closes his eyes and probes at Mikey’s mental shield. It’s really more like a curtain he can just push aside.

 _’Okay, what the hell is going on?’_ Mikey asks.

 _’This Dean guy? He is so not what he says he is, and Sam isn’t either for that matter. He asked me out about wolves and he said I’m a liar.’_

 _’You are a liar,’_ Mikey answers.

 _’I’m an excellent liar, is the point’._ He sighs stretching on the couch.

 _’It takes one to know one,’_ Mikey replies.

 _’Don’t quote Taking Back Sunday at me. But you’re right, it does take one to know one. I think he might be one of them…’_

 _’You mean one of us?’_ Mikey corrects.

Gerard waves his hand even though he knows that Mikey can’t see it. _’We’re not really one of them: we’re freaks like the Letos, we are different. We’re…’_

Mikey interrupts him. _’I get it, Gee. We’re not your average hunters.’_

 _’There aren’t any average hunters. They’re all crazy as fuck,’_ Gerard answers.

 _’We’re crazy as fuck,’_ Mikey says with a soft laugh. _’Back to the Dean and Sam show. Bob is talking to some people now about them.’_

 _‘You’ll let me know as soon as Bob has something on them?’_

 _’With no last name we can only work with the car, here,’_ Mikey replies.

 _’Well, it’s not an everyday car,’_ Gee says.

 _’I’ll let you know. How’s William?’_

 _’Good. We had dinner with Sam and Dean. He didn’t talk much, but he was beaming as Dean said the nicest things about his pie.’_

 _’He makes really good pies,’_ Mikey replies. _’And the shifting part?’_

 _’He didn’t let me see, obviously, but I’m pretty sure he shifted the first day we arrived here. In the bathroom. And a few times since then as well.’_

 _’That’s good. He needs to feel safe about who he is.’_ Gerard just knows that Mikey is nodding now. He smiles to himself.

“Are you talking in your head again?” William asks softly.

“I’m always talking in my head, even if I’m not talking with Mikey,” he answers with a laugh.

“What’s going on?”

Gerard hesitates for a moment.

 _’Tell him.’_ Mikey says.

 _’I don’t want to worry him.’_

 _’He’s worried already,’_ Mikey replies.

Gerard sighs and looks at William, who is hovering in the door. Hugging himself with his long slender arms. Gerard really likes his fingers. _’Gerard…’_ Mikey stresses in his head.

“Right, right…” Gerard mumbles.

“Gerard?” William asks.

“So, did you by any chance shift outside last night?” he asks. He isn’t angry, his voice is soft, but William bites his lip so hard it whites out.

He takes a deep breathe. “I did shift outside the cottage last night. I couldn’t stand being inside anymore. I couldn’t stand looking at myself while doing it…” he whispers.

“Oh, okay. We could just take out the mirror,” Gerard says.

“Too late now. I messed it up.”

“You didn’t mess it up. Shit just happens. You couldn’t know that someone would be lurking around in the middle of the freaking night.” Gerard takes out his pack and lights a cigarette. He inhales deeply.

“Someone saw me?”

“Not someone. Sam.”

“Oh… he seemed so nice.”

“We seem nice and could kill someone with our minds…oh wait, we can’t.” Gerard smiles.

“Shannon could,” William says softly.

“Yeah, Shannon can.”

“I’m sorry,” William says.

“Don’t be. We can handle this. We’re awesome and we have Bob,” Gerard smiles. “Please just try not to shift outside anymore.”

William nods.

~+~  
The thing is that William always used to shift outside when he was a kid and he didn’t want anyone to see him. Being here in the country reminded him of that. It still reminds him of a time when he was free because no one knew what he was.

He missed that and that’s why he shifted outside in the moonlight. Feeling the soft cold breeze on his skin. It felt more natural than shifting inside. The grass and the smell of earth is way better than the cold tiles under him.

~+~  
 _’Winchesters.’_ Mikey says.

 _’Dean and Sam, of course,’_ Gerard takes a deep drag from his cigarette and looks at he horizon. Twilight is creeping up on him.

 _’Yes, the boys who want to find out about Pastor Jim.’_

 _’Maybe we should just tell them he was a psycho and be done with it,’_ Gerard answers.

 _’He raised them and they were raised so very differently from us, Gee. I don’t think they would understand. Family is everything for them.’_

 _’Family is everything for us, as well.’_

 _’Yes, but we don’t define family by blood. We choose our family.’_

Gerard exhales smoke and watches it disappear into the night. _’I still think we should just explain it to them. I’m sure-’_

 _’Gee. They hunt things that aren’t human.’_

 _’Okay. We’re coming home tomorrow.’_

 _’Thank you.’_

~+~  
Gerard is having coffee at the small kitchen table when his door is kicked in. He is up and armed in a flash.

“What the fuck!?” he shouts.

“We know what you are!” Sam says.

“Yeah? I know who you are. Winchesters. Calm the fuck down.”

“We don’t listen to skin walkers,” Dean gives back. His gun still pointed at Gerard. Gerard sighs. He just can’t help himself. He bets there are silver bullets in it, but every bullet would kill _him_.

“I’m not a shape shifter. Me and my brother Mikey? We’re hunters. You can call Bobby and ask. The name is Way,” he answers calmly.

Dean and Sam share a look. “We heard about you.”

“We were looking for you.”

Gerard really doesn’t like where he thinks this is going. “We know.”

“You lied about Pastor Jim,” Dean says. He isn’t lowering the gun. Gerard puts his down on the table. If they want to kill him, they will, but he doesn’t think they will.

 _’Gee, don’t!’_ Mikey’s voice comes through a bit angry and a bit panicked.

“There is nothing left but the truth now,” he answers.

 _’You don’t know them. Their mom was killed and they were raised as warriors. For god’s sake. They aren’t sane in any dimension!’_

“We just have to try,” Gerard answers. The Winchesters give him a look. He really doesn’t care. He only hopes that William will stay in the bedroom until all this is over.

“What are you talking about?” Dean asks.

“I’m not talking to you.”

 _’Gerard, what the fuck? Don’t make them angry at you.’_

“Mind if I smoke?” he asks the Winchesters.

“No,” Dean says just as Sam says “Yes!”.

“You might want to work on that a bit,” Gerard answers with a smile. This is so surreal and kind of funny. He takes out his pack carefully and lights one, takes a deep drag, lets it out and says: “Pastor Jim is dead. He hung himself.”

Dean’s eyes are small slits of anger. “You killed him!”

“No, he hung himself. We did kill a bunch of other psycho hunters, although.” He is feeling very calm right now. He knows Dean is just a second away from killing him.

 _’GEE! For fuck’s sake!’_ Mikey screams in his head.

“Where is William?” Sam asks.

“In the bedroom. You touch him, you’re dead,” Gerard says calmly.

Dean smiles and Gerard really doesn’t like that smile.

”Dean,” Sam says in warning.

“Yeah, okay,” Dean answers. Sam lowers his gun.

“From the beginning, please.”

Gerard takes another drag and exhales. He likes that the younger Winchester has manners.

  
 **~12~**

  
  
Sam knows that Dean wants to call bullshit on the whole story. He can’t believe that Pastor Jim was involved in something like this. In torture and rape and abuse of children. Not human children, but still children.

Sam isn’t so sure. Some of the killed hunters were pretty messed up. Seriously dark. Good hunters, sure; sane? Not so much.

And there’s the fact that he dreamed about this in Pastor Jim’s house for the first time. Like something in this house was telling him the truth. Or trying to tell him the truth.

Gerard looks disgusted as he tells them all about the organization.

“We have no other leads so far,” he closes his report.

“Bullshit! Pastor Jim wouldn’t do something like that.”

“We think he was possessed,” a soft voice says. Dean’s head whips in William’s direction. His gun pointed at his head.

“Put it down,” Gerard says coldly.

Sam suppresses a shiver. Dean looks pissed of as hell and William just looks fragile.

Sam’s pretty sure by now that William is the boy from his nightmares. He doesn’t want to think about it, but he can’t shake the images.

He grabs his brother’s hand and Dean lowers the gun. His hand is shaking.

“It is a possibility,” Sam says. Dean gives him a look. “I dreamed about you,” he says to William and William blushes. It looks pretty. Gerard laughs and Dean scowls at him.

“Not like that!” Sam says hastily.

“Of course not,” Gerard answers. He seems totally at ease now. Like he knows that they won’t kill him, or like he doesn’t care, because he’s in the right here. He doesn’t think he did anything wrong. The truth is Sam doesn’t think that either. The more he thinks about it the more it all makes sense.

“Tea?” William asks softly.

Sam nods without thinking about it. He’s sure William isn’t a threat, even if he doesn’t know yet what the deal with William is. He doesn’t seem to be a hunter.

While William makes tea, Gerard is smoking another cigarette.

“So, Pastor Jim was possessed?” Dean bites out.

“We aren’t sure. Maybe. It seems like the only explanation. That or he went batshit insane.” Gerard takes another drag of his cigarette and cocks his head like he’s listening to someone they can’t see.

“You couldn’t take out that many hunters alone; only you and your brother,” Dean says.

“No, we had help.”

“What kind of help?” Sam asks.

“Are you guys going to kill me and then hunt them down? Because if that’s your plan, I’m not going to tell - and besides, if you should kill me, they’ll know immediately and they’ll kill you,” Gerard says calmly.

William turns around with two mugs in his hand and puts one on the table in front of Sam. Dean grabs William’s hand and Gerard is up and holding a kitchen knife to his throat in a flash. William is white as a sheet, the mug broken on the floor, tea spilled on the wood.

“DEAN!” Sam screams, because what the fuck was he thinking?

“Let go. Now,” Gerard’s voice is cold like ice. The hand holding the knife is steady. Sam knows he will kill them without a second thought if he has to.

“Dean, let go of his wrist,” Sam instructs and Dean does.

William backs away until he is standing with his back to the counter, as far away as he can be from them.

“I should kill you for this little stunt,” Gerard says. “Are you okay, pretty?” he asks William and William nods. Gerard can’t see it, but maybe he feels it, because he says: “Good.”

He takes the knife away slowly. Dean exhales carefully. Sam takes his brother’s gun. Dean is more of a shoot first and ask questions later type. It’s not always a bad thing, but right now it doesn’t help.

William looks like someone raped him in front of an audience and Gerard is vibrating with wrath. Sam has really no idea what the hell Dean was thinking.

~+~  
So, Dean thinks and tries not to murder someone, his suspicion is true. Someone did something unspeakable to William. Gerard looks ready to rip his heart out and then some other vital organs as well just for the fun of it and Dean can’t really blame him. He would’ve done the same in this situation.  
He isn’t going to say he’s sorry, because that’s not how Dean Winchester works, but he is a bit sorry. William looks really freaked out about this.

Gerard sits down and smokes three cigarettes in five minutes before he lights a fourth and exhales slowly.

“I know why you did it,” he says. “I still want to kill you for it.”

Dean nods. He understands. Gerard is a big brother and even if Dean has no idea what the deal between him and William is, he’s pretty sure William means a lot to Gerard.

“I want to kill you for Pastor Jim.”

“He was mad, or possessed. He…” Gerard takes a violent drag of his cigarette. “He was like family and we trusted him and he did all these _things_ ,” he continues.

Dean wants to kill something, mostly because he feels helpless and betrayed as well.

“You didn’t kill him,” Sam says softly.

Gerard shakes his head. “No. He did it himself. We couldn’t kill him. We couldn’t. But we couldn’t let him go either,” Gerard answers.

“I understand,” Sam says, and the thing is, Dean knows that Sam really does understand.

~+~  
They leave the cottage a few hours later. Sam is brooding like it’s nobody’s business and Dean just wants to get really, really drunk and then go out and get laid. It’s just his luck that he’s trapped here, in this cottage in the fucking romantic countryside.

“I’m pretty sure the kid I saw in my nightmares was William now,” Sam says, throwing his jacket on the bed.

“And?”

“He was one of the kids these people captured, tortured, abused… they should have helped them,” Sam sounds disgusted with the human race in general and hunters in particular. He doesn’t say the word ‘rape’ but it’s there between them. The way William freaked out because of a simple touch from a stranger tells volumes of pain and anger and terror.

“You mean he’s not human?” Dean asks. He listened to every word Way told them. He didn’t say a thing about human children. They were all… well, monsters, for the lack of a better word. That’s what Dad taught them. Everything that isn’t human doesn’t deserve to live. Because everything that isn’t human is evil. William didn’t seem evil. He looked like a victim.

“What does that have to do with anything?” Sam asks sharply. “He was just a kid and what these people did to him was not right. You know it.”

“Dad taught us differently.”

“Yeah, and he was always so holy. For fuck's sake, Dean! He isn't god. Not everything he told us was the truth and nothing but the fucking truth. He lied – a lot. God knows where the hell he is. I'm sure he just doesn't _want_ to be found!” Sam explodes.

Dean knew that when they would talk about it would be ugly. “He's still not human and Pastor Jim died on the Ways' watch.”

“I'm not sure I wouldn't have killed them all as well,” Sam admits, sitting down on the bed. He puts his head in his hands and closes his eyes. Dean watches him breathe.

“They didn't do it alone, Sam.”

“What does it matter? We aren't puppets. We can make our own decisions. I'm a freak, too. I'm sure in darker times they would've burned me to a crispy nugget on a nice pile of wood.”

“You're not a freak!”

“Who are you kidding? _You_ are afraid of me!”

 _Sometimes_ , Dean thinks. _Only sometimes._ It just doesn't seem natural what Sam can do with his mind. “I'm getting used to it,” Dean says. He feels tired all of a sudden.

“No, you really aren't,” Sam mumbles.

Dean wants to say that it's not true. He’s getting used to it; it freaks him out like nothing else because this is happening to _Sam_ , but he is willing to try and deal.  
He keeps silent, because neither of them ever learned how to say the important things.

 

 **~13~**

 ****  
  
“Don’t yell!” Gerard says tired. “Why did you even call?”

“Because I think you need to hear my voice outside your brain, so it makes an impact. You can’t ignore me when I’m yelling into your fucking ear, Gee!” Mikey answers.

“I can’t ignore you when you’re in my head either,” Gerard says.

Mikey sighs. “You do. You do ignore me and tell the fucking Winchesters that Pastor Jim died on our watch. What the hell is wrong with you?”

“I’m tired of all this bullshit. I am tired of them hiding, I want them to be afraid and I want them to know we’re hunting these bastards down and I tell you something, Mikes, Sam doesn’t seem like someone who’s cool with shit like that.”

“Maybe you’re right about Sam, but I sure as hell know you’re not about Dean. They’re cold-hearted hunters.”

“No, they aren’t. Because they have each other.”

Mikey is silent on the other side of the line, Gerard waits. He hears Mikey light a cigarette and inhale, exhale, inhale deeply again.

“Okay, maybe they won’t kill you two. But they know about William now-“

“I didn’t tell them.”

“Sam saw him, Gee.”

“Sam saw _something_ ,” Gerard stresses, “They’re looking for skin walkers, not shifters here, and they won’t find any.”

“You really want to bet your life on that? William’s life?” Mikey asks.

“No. We’re packing up right now and heading home soon.”

“Thank god,” Mikey answers.

~+~  
William is washing the last dishes when someone knocks on the door. They fixed it late last night. It was nice to do something with his hands with Gerard so close by.

Gerard has a knife in hand as he opens it.

“Sam,” he says. He sounds surprised, William thinks.

“Way,” Sam answers with a short nod.

“You wanna come in?”

“You wanna put away that knife?” Sam asks.

Gerard nods, lets Sam enter and puts the knife on the kitchen table. “You fixed the door,” Sam observes.

“Had to, we don’t want people to think we’re violent freaks,” Gerard answers. Sam’s cheeks go a bit pink.

“Sorry for that. Dean is more the shoot-first-and-ask-questions-later type,” he says.

“I figured. So, what do you want?”

“Tea?” William asks, carefully. Gerard turns to look at him and smiles.

Sam looks a bit startled. “Tea would be nice, thank you.” He sits down far away from William. William really appreciates the gesture. Sam wants him to know that he isn’t a threat. William smiles at him and turns to make tea. The mugs he uses leave wet rings on the counter.

“What brings you here?” Gerard asks again.

“Pastor Jim and the other hunters… and that your parents died in a fire,” Sam says.

William sets mugs down on the table and sits close to Gerard. Gerard gives Sam a look.

“My mother died in a fire when I was six months old,” Sam continues.

“Mikey was one year,” Gerard says. “Both our parents died. I don’t see a connection.”

Sam seems to battle with himself for a moment before he says. “Do you have powers?”

“Like a Jedi, young grasshopper?”

Sam laughs. It sounds like it was startled out of him. “Yes… I think,” he bites his lip. He looks really young like that right now, William thinks.

Gerard is having a conversation in his head with Mikey. William knows them well enough by now to know these things. Sam gives him a look and then his eyes linger on William’s face. He seems, to William, like he’s ashamed of something. Like he knows exactly what William went through. William crosses his arms over his chest and stares at the tabletop.

“We do,” Gerard says and William’s head snaps up. He can see Gerard’s profile. Even like that, staring Sam down, he looks really pretty to William.

“We?” Sam asks.

“My brother and I. We can read minds.”

“You can read minds?” Sam asks, sceptical. William snickers.

“Not other people’s. Just each other’s. “

“You can have whole conversations in your head with your brother?”

“He had one just right now. I imagine Mikey is pissed about this,” William throws in.

“He’s pissed as hell. He doesn’t trust the Winchesters,” Gerard answers, “You guys have a reputation,” he adds in Sam’s direction.

Sam nods. “I saw him,” Sam admits after an endless eternity of silence.

Gerard’s body gets tense. “You saw him?”

“In my dreams. Nightmares. I have nightmares about things that are going to happen. Usually, that is, and then when we investigated Pastor Jim’s disappearance I had dreams about William. I didn’t know then it was him. I didn’t know anything about him.”

“You can see the future in your dreams?” Gerard asks.

“Yes.”

“And your brother?”

“He can’t.”

“Obviously. But what _can_ he do?” Gerard asks.

“Nothing. He is normal. He isn’t a…” Sam waves his hand in a universal gesture that tells everything and nothing at once.

“Freak?” William supplies quietly.

“Yes,” Sam says. He sounds defeated to William. Like he kind of hates it and doesn’t at the same time. It’s how William felt all the time before he was with the Ways.

“You sure your brother doesn’t have any powers?” Gerard asks.

“Yes. He would’ve told me,” Sam answers. “Why?”

“Because all the people with powers we know about who have siblings, well, their siblings have powers too.”

“Dean doesn’t,” Sam repeats firmly.

William thinks he doesn’t sound too sure, but Gerard nods like he believes it. What else can he do, anyway? If Dean didn’t tell his brother, he was either telling the truth or he was lying and Sam wouldn’t know any better. No one would.

“So, there are other people like us?” Sam asks.

Gerard nods.

“You’re not going to tell me who they are, are you?”

“No. People who helped us deal with the hunter-ring that killed and raped children. They aren’t hunters, don’t even bother trying to find them via Bobby Singer,” Gerard answers.

“You know Bobby?”

“Everyone knows Bobby,” Gerard replies with a smile.

“And Bobby knows everyone,” Sam gives back.

“Well, he knows people who know people…” Gerard admits.

~+~  
Gerard is playing Bowie while they drive back to Bob’s. William knows they’ll stay the night at a motel somewhere, but he isn’t afraid of it. He’d done it on the way to the cottage once before.  
All in all, he thinks this little trip was worth everything. Being with the Winchesters and eating dinner with them wasn’t too bad. He feels stronger now and doesn’t think Sam and Dean want to kill him for what he is, but maybe protect him for who he is instead. At least Sam, maybe.

~+~  
Mikey is holding a cup of coffee in one hand and a cigarette in the other when they park the car in front of the house. He’s wearing one of Gerard’s hoodies.

“I want to punch you,” is the first thing he says when Gerard gets out of the car.

“I want to hug you,” Gerard replies and Mikey huffs out smoke. “Did you tell Bob and Emilie?”

“Of fucking course. They want to punch you, as well.”

Gerard smiles and Mikey hands over the coffee. “Thanks.”

“What the hell were you thinking?”

“That they can’t be that bad…”

“You based that purely on Dean’s car,” Mikey sighs.

“And how he is with Sam.”

Mikey nods, because he understands.

~+~  
“You think we should call Jared and Shannon?” William asks. He’s clutching a mug of apple tea while Gerard makes a sandwich.

“Yes. It’s possible that Dean wants to find them.”

“It’s possible that _Sam_ wants to find them. He is the one with the freaky Jedi powers,” Mikey throws in.

“Hey, maybe he could! I mean, you just said it yourself: Freaky Jedi powers.”

“Well, fuck,” Mikey answers.

“Definitely going to call them.”

“They’re going to kill you for talking about this shit to the Winchesters, you know that, right?” Mikey asks with a grin.

“I would like to see them again,” William says softly and Gerard smiles at him.

“I would like that, too.”

  
 **~14~**

  
  
Dean is very aware that Sam is staring at him _all the fucking time_ now. Since he came back from his little chat with Way he’s looking at Dean like Dean’s hiding something from him. He has no idea what Way and Sam where talking about, but he knows that he doesn’t like it. Not one bit.

“Okay, spit it out!” he says, frustrated.

“What? I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Sam replies. He stares out of the car window instead now.

“You went to Way – against my better judgement.” Sam rolls his eyes at him, but he ignores it, continuing with: “And now you’re staring at me like I’m hiding something. I’m not the one hiding something here, Sam.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Sam asks sharply.

“You didn’t tell me about your nightmares until it was nearly too fucking late. You go out in the middle of the night, you talk to Way and now you’re refusing to talk about shit with me.”

“Dad never taught us to _talk_ about shit, Dean,” Sam stresses.

“Maybe, but I’m sure Jess talked.”

“Oh fuck you!” Sam answers hotly. He is nearly yelling at Dean and Dean doesn’t care one bit. This is as close to a conversation as they’ll get.

“Tell me what is going on in that head of yours!”

“Fine! Way – Gerard, said that all the siblings with powers he knows about, all have powers.”

Dean huffs. “What are you saying?”

“Do you have powers?”

“Like your Sixth Sense thing?”

“Yes!

“No,” Dean answers calmly.

“But Gerard and Mikey they can read each other’s minds and-“, he bites his lip and keeps quiet.

“I don’t have any freaky powers, Sam,” Dean repeats, his voice soft.

Sam nods. Dean knows he’s still not believing it, but there is nothing he can do about it.  
They drive to Bobby’s in silence.

~+~  
“Jim is dead then?” Bobby asks, pouring whisky into glasses.

Dean nods. “That’s what Way said.”

“You believe he’s done it himself?”

“I don’t know. If it’s true what Way told us, yeah, maybe. It would explain all the crazy shit if Pastor Jim was possessed,” Sam says.

“So a bunch of hunters and other scum were hunting non-human children to amuse themselves?” Bobby asks, and he sounds disgusted.

Sam feels dirty just thinking about it. He nods. “Seems like it. The boy Gerard had with him, I’m sure he is the one from my nightmares. He… the things they did to him.” He grabs a glass and downs it in one go.

“They want our help on this case?”

“I wouldn’t mind helping them to find all of these people.”

“We have to find Dad first,” Dean throws in.

Sam doesn’t bother to point out, again, that Dad doesn’t want to be found. It’s like talking to a brick wall.

Bobby shares a look with him and Dean pours another shot.

Sam knows his brother; Dean is going to get drunk and then get laid. He’ll stumble into their room in the wee morning hours and will wake Sam up with it and then fall face down on his bed.

Sam can’t wait for it to happen.

~+~  
Sam calls Gerard as soon as he can’t hear the Impala anymore.

“I want in,” he says.

“I - what?”

“Gerard?”

“Mikey,” the voice on the other side answers. “Winchester. Sam, I guess?”

“Yeah. Can I talk to Gerard?”

“He’s showering, but he’s listening in.”

“In your head, right…”

“I know how crazy that sounds, but you dream the future.”

“And apparently the past, now, too,” Sam replies.

“So you want to help us find these bastards?”

“Yes, and I want to find some answers, as well,” Sam says.

“About who you are? How this Jedi thing works and why your brother doesn’t have any powers?”

“He says he doesn’t have any, but I didn’t have them as a child; they came after. You and Gerard, you were always like this, right?”

“Yes.”

“And the other people you talked about? Where they always like this as well?”

“Yes. As far as I can tell,” Mikey answers.

“Maybe my freakishness has nothing to do with yours….” Sam says.

“I don’t know, man, it seems pretty unlikely. Siblings with powers. There aren’t that many. We only know of you guys and another pair of brothers.”

“Oh…” Sam seems to think stuff over. “Their parents died in a fire as well?”

“I have no idea. They aren’t hunters. They don’t even cross paths with hunters often…”

“I can sense an epic back-story here,” Sam says.

Mikey laughs and it sounds really amused. “You have no idea.”

“Does Gerard want to meet up to compare notes?”

“Yes, Gerard does,” Mikey answers and gives him his e-mail and an address.

~+~  
Sam doesn’t have much on his dreams and nightmares, but he is good at research, so he digs a bit deeper. With Gerard’s help, he’s sure, he can find a common denominator. There’s always something. And how the hell does Pastor Jim fit into all that?

He sighs, leans back in the chair and closes his eyes. If only Dean had powers, too; then… well, but Dean doesn’t. Never had, so it’s a moot point to think about and wish for it.

Working with the Ways, finding the ring of hunters, and the demon that possessed Pastor Jim, that’s important now.

Also: finding Dad.

It’s more important for Dean than for Sam, but still.

~+~  
Sam is drumming his knuckles against the tabletop nervously while he waits. He recognizes the melody and stops. Fucking Dean, seriously, he thinks. Smoke on the water, of course.

He’s just ordering another coffee when Gerard enters the coffee shop. He’s smiling, but Sam honestly can’t tell what it means.  
Gerard sits down, orders a coffee and only says hi, as they’re waiting for the waitress to bring it to their table.

“So, comparing notes, hmm?” he smiles again and takes a sip of his coffee.

“Yeah,” Sam answers, staring, because it looks obscene how blissed out Gerard is after just one sip of coffee. It’s a bit like porn. Sam feels uncomfortable watching it.

“Let’s see what you have, then,” Gerard says and Sam takes out his laptop.

He doesn’t have much, he has only vague ideas of things that happened and things that will happen – or maybe not, if they can get there in time.  
Gerard nods and hmms and doesn’t say much. Sam is kind of glad for it. All this sounded much more sane when it was only in his head.

“And we have no idea how Pastor Jim fits in here,” he closes. He takes a sip of his nearly cold coffee and grimaces.

Gerard looks sympathetic. “Mikey and Bob have an idea,” he answers. Sam makes a vague ‘go on’ gesture. “They think that Pastor Jim was possessed to lead us there. To lead Jared and Shannon there as well. To lead you guys there. The demon knew you would investigate his disappearance.”

“Yeah, sure but they couldn’t know you would meet William in a parking lot somewhere in the middle of nowhere,” Sam counters.

Gerard hmms again like he’s thinking this over. “I’m not so sure. They have ways of finding stuff out. I just have no idea what they would want with us.”

“Well, I have an idea and it isn’t pretty,” Sam answers. “Maybe they wanted us to kill you guys for what happened with Pastor Jim. Dean would. I know he would.”

Gerard nods. “We’ve established that he’s more the shoot-first-ask-questions-later type already.” He’s smiling like this doesn’t bother him one bit now that it’s over. He’s fucking strange, even for a hunter, especially for a hunter, Sam thinks.

“So we have nothing but a bunch of very vague assumptions.”

“We’re hunters, that’s what we usually have at the beginning of a case,” Gerard answers.

Well, Sam thinks, yeah. True enough.

~+~  
Dean is not amused by all this. He is really pissed off because Sam wanted to meet Way alone. Maybe it was for the best, because Dean still doesn’t trust them and he knows Dad wouldn’t either. This is not how they work their cases. They keep stuff in the family, especially stuff that is _about_ the family. What the hell is Sam even thinking?

“Are you even listening?” Sam asks, looking up from his papers.

“Sure.”

Sam sighs. “What?”

“I have not the slightest why we’re sharing our family business with other people.”

“Because they knew Pastor Jim as well. He raised them like he raised us. He was like family,” Sam answers.

Damn Sam for playing that card. “They aren’t family.”

“They’re like us.”

“No, Sam, they’re like you,” Dean answers, and wants to smack his head against something really hard immediately. Sam’s face closes off like it always does when they try to talk about Dad or Sam’s powers. Powers that freak Dean out and are still developing.

“Fine! They’re like me and I want to know what the hell is wrong with me, what makes me such a freak of nature.”

Dean keeps silent, he has really no idea what the hell he can say to that. After all, he wants that, too.

~+~  
Dean doesn’t dream often, and when he does dream he dreams about sex with faceless, hot women. An endless variety of big breasts, small hands and long legs. Perfect women in every way. It’s always the same – a bit like real life, but better.

So when he wakes up hard, his hand already around his dick, he doesn’t think much about it. Later when he lies there spent listening to his breathing calming down he closes his eyes and groans. Well, fuck. This dream wasn’t about one of these faceless women. Dean isn’t even sure it was about a _girl_.

When he thinks back to it, it seemed more like a graceful, slender male body. A boy, maybe or a girl with very small breasts.

He sighs; this shit is getting to him.

  
 **~15~**

  
“We have nothing,” Mikey says.

“We have the Winchesters on our side.”

“We have _Sam_ on our side, that’s the difference,” Mikey replies. He’s paging through one of the ancient books Emilie keeps lying around like they’re New York Times bestsellers and not worth a lot of money. It’s something about runes, he puts it away. Maybe he’ll come back to it later.

“Where Sam is going Dean is following. You heard Bob. Dean practically raised Sam… It’s a bit scary how co-dependant they are.”

“You’re one to talk,” Mikey says.

Gerard smiles. “Well, we aren’t that messed up.”

“We don’t even have sex alone, Gee…”

Gerard leans back in the chair and waves his brother’s objection away. His cigarette leaving a grey line in the wake of his hand. “I still think we’re the most sane hunters out there. Even if we’re constantly in each other’s heads.”

Mikey can’t really object to that. After all, he thinks that, too.

~+~  
Gerard is a bit more than just slightly surprised when Dean calls him on a Saturday morning. He’s groggy, he hasn’t had any coffee yet.

“Hello?”

“You stole our gig,” Dean says.

“Who’s that?” he mumbles and really thinks about just hanging up. He doesn’t feel like dealing with crazy people right now.

“Winchester.”

“Dean…uhm, hello?” He gets up, pats Mikey on the leg to let him know he’s getting up and leaves the room.

“You stole our gig a few weeks back in Jersey?”

“Oh, yeah. It wasn’t a Chupacabra.”

“It wasn’t?”

“Did you read the reports?”

“Yeah, wasn’t pretty.”

“No, it wasn’t,” Gerard answers, balancing a mug, a tin of coffee and the phone. He needs coffee right the fuck now. He doesn’t want to deal with Dean Winchester and the horrors of that case without caffeine in his blood.

“You did steal our gig then,” Dean says.

“We didn’t know it was your gig. We didn’t know who the hell you guys were,” Gerard answers, while he waits for his coffee.

“Same here,” Dean says, and he sounds like he regrets knowing now.

“So, why are you calling?” Gerard asks. He can feel Mikey stir in his brain. Soon enough he’ll ask questions. Gerard has no answers to right now.

“It’s about the kid you have with you.”

“William, his name’s William,” Gerard says firmly.

“Right, William. What is he?” Dean asks. There is an edge to his voice Gerard can’t specify.

“Just a boy we picked up in a parking lot,” Gerard answers as he’s pouring coffee into a mug. Blessed be coffee and the person who first thought of making it out of those funny plants.

“Bullshit, Way!”

“What the hell is going on?”

“He a siren or something?”

“What?” Gerard asks, because, seriously, what?

“A siren? Or something like that?” Dean repeats.

“No, he’s not a siren. Are you okay? You sound stressed,” Gerard says. He feels like laughing, but just knows that it wouldn’t be a good idea.

“Not your business,” Dean grumbles.

“Okay. So he is not a siren and he is not bewitching Sam or you or whatever it is you’re thinking. He’s ours. He’s family.”

“Not by blood,” Dean interrupts.

“What does it matter?” Gerard answers. He takes a sip of coffee and sighs. He starts to feel like a real person again. Dean makes a noise.

“You make porn noses when you drink coffee,” he says and Gerard laughs. He just can’t help himself.

~+~  
Something about Dean is fascinating to William. His strength, maybe. He can't really pinpoint it, but his body is reacting to it - the non-human side of him likes what it feels, what it sees. Since they came back to Bob's, William’s feeling restless again. He’s pacing the backyard and doesn't even try to sit down with a book on the porch or in the grass or on the bench. Gerard’s giving him looks, as is Emilie. The only one who isn't giving him looks is Bob, thank god for Bob. Bob is a rock in the fucking stormy sea that is his life, his feelings, his... being a fucking teenager, maybe.

William really has no idea what the hell he’s supposed to do with himself. He thinks he will go crazy and tear his skin from his flesh, and maybe that from his bones too. It's not like he doesn't do it on a regular basis anyway.  
Sometimes he feels like snapping at someone, but there’s no one he can snap at.

~+~  
Mikey is constantly on the phone with Shannon and Jared because Jared refuses to talk to his brother until he doesn't want to kill Gerard anymore. Those were his exact words. And Mikey believes him. Just because Shannon is the one who can make someone burn like a Christmas tree with only his mind doesn't mean that Jared can't kill people just as well. He is as skilled as anyone Mikey and Gerard have ever seen with a fucking knife.

“So?” Gerard asks when Mikey puts down the phone.

“He still wants to cut out your insides, and other parts of you we're not talking about, to give them to the dogs.”

“They don't have dogs,” Gerard says.

Mikey gives him a look. “I didn't say their dogs, Gee, and that is beside the fucking point, anyway. You lost their trust.”

“I know,” Gerard sounds defeated.

“I know why you did it, but it still was wrong. You should have talked about this first with the Letos.”

“It's not like I gave the Winchesters their names!” Gerard tries to explain. He takes out his pack, lights one and takes a violent drag. Mikey waits. Gerard takes another drag and doesn't say a thing for a while. “I know it was wrong, but I need the Winchesters on our side. They know these kind of hunters.”

“Because they _are_ these kind of hunters?” Mikey asks carefully.

Gerard shakes his head. He doesn't think so. “Because they were raised by one.”

“You think the disappearance of John Winchester has something to do with all this, do you?”

“We can't be sure. He can be possessed and out to get us, or the Winchesters, or someone else. Who the hell knows?”

“Unlikely.”

“His disappearance is suspicious at best.”

“Not going to object.”

~+~  
It happens the first time three weeks after he's back at Bob's. He's alone at home because Gerard makes sure, now, that he has at least one day a week for himself to do whatever he wants to do. William knows he’s thinking about shifting, but sometimes he doesn't shift. Sometimes he just sits around or runs in the backyard. Tries to write something like a normal person.

He's standing in front of the big mirror in the upstairs bathroom with the white tiles and tries not to think about who he's becoming.

When it's over he's breathing hard and staring at himself. He was expecting Gerard because Gerard always felt safe and warm, like a part of him maybe. Or Emilie because she feels like love and like being cared for. What William wasn't expecting was this body; Dean fucking Winchester. He knew he was kind of obsessed about the guy from the first time he saw Dean, but this? This takes his obsession to a whole new level.

He stretches a hand out carefully and touches the mirror. He has no idea if it's safe to touch himself. Probably not, the last time he tried that he was Gerard, and things got a bit messy. The surface feels cold against his fingertips. He runs along the lines of Dean's body with his finger on the glass. It's a good body, a strong body and a good looking one. He can understand why people want that body, want to share a bed with that body. Want to share a bed with Dean.

He takes a deep breath and turns away. He switches the shower on. The blood, bones and flesh need to be washed away. He knows he'll shift back in a few hours anyway and will have to do it again, but he can't stand being like this. It always feels like parts of him are dying.

~+~  
The second time it happens it isn't such a shock anymore, because he had time to think about it. It's strength; Dean is a strong person inside and out. That’s what his own non-human side is looking for right now. His body tries to make these qualities his own. William isn't sure how he feels about it, but it can't be a bad thing to be strong and independent.

He is staring at himself when he hears the sound of the front door. He knows immediately that it's Gerard, he recognizes him by the way he walks. Well, fuck, he thinks, but the panic he is waiting for doesn't come. He’s still naked and his body is a poem in blood and small bones, but the panic doesn't set in.  
Strange.

He hears Gerard run up the stairs and then he hesitates at the door to the bathroom.

“You in there, William?”

“Yes,” William answers.

“Okay...I left my wallet on the sink, could you just throw it out or something, please?” Gerard asks.

Oh, William thinks, that is the reason Gerard is back. He looks around and yeah, on the ground close to the sink is the wallet.

“Sure,” he replies scooping it up. He doesn't really think when he turns and opens the door.

Gerard is staring and then takes sharp breath. “You're him...” he whispers and his hand reaches out to touch, like he doesn't even know he's doing it. Like the first time he did it. The panic still doesn't come, William's own breathing is very calm.

“Yes, it just happened,” he answers and Gerard's eyes snap to his face, he wants to snatch his hand away, but it's too late. It makes contact with William's skin and he can't help the noise he makes. The wallet falls to the ground with a soft noise.

  
 **~16~**

  
  
Dean is dreaming. The only difference this time is that he knows he's dreaming. He is standing in a bathroom. He doesn't know it, but that doesn't matter, he's seen a thousand bathrooms over the years he's been hunting things now.

Something falls from his fingers to the ground with a soft noise, it looks like a wallet. Gerard is staring at him, his hand touching Dean's chest carefully. His fingers feel surprisingly soft. Dean is kind of horrified and a good part turned on. Gerard bites his lip, like he isn't sure what the hell he's doing or should do. Dean knows _exactly_ what Gerard should be doing right the fuck now. A part of Dean is shocked about the sheer lust he’s feeling in that moment. It's like he'll burst if Gerard _doesn't_ touch him. He makes a noise, can feel it in his whole body. It makes him shiver and then he grabs Gerard's hand, pulling him close against him. Gerard's shocked breath hits his neck, his clothes feel uncomfortable on Dean's skin.

“Off,” he says, tearing at Gerard's shirt.

Gerard’s still hesitating and Dean should, too, he knows he should. He is not fucking attracted to men at all – or wasn't before, at least; but strange shit is happening and this, at least, will lead to orgasms in the near future and Dean’s never had anything against orgasms since he first discovered their existence.

“I-” Gerard tries to say, but Dean cuts him off by grabbing his jaw and crashing their lips together. Even Gerard's lips feel soft, not like a girl's, no girl he ever met had lips that chapped, but they still manage to be yielding under Dean's own. He bites softly and Gerard makes a delicious noise, his hands come up to Dean's hips and he presses closer. Dean can feel Gerard's desperation like his own.

“Off,” Dean repeats into the space between their lips and Gerard nods. It borders on physical pain to let go of Gerard and let him take his clothes off. Gerard is so fucking pale that Dean would’ve thought he was a vampire if he hadn't known better. Dean can see every vein under his skin – they're like lines, like roads, like vines; crossing, meeting and disappearing again. As soon as the last piece of Gerard's clothing (a sock) is gone, Dean has him against his own body again. Skin-on-skin contact, warm and firm. He lets his hands run down Gerard's sides, his thighs, his ass. Gerard's fingers are restless on Dean as well – hot points of contact, fuelling the fire inside Dean even more. He has no idea what he wants except for Gerard not ever stopping doing this. Gerard kisses his neck, his throat, and licks over his collarbone. He knows what he's doing, there is no shame or hesitation now. Gerard is fully into this. Dean can feel his dick against his thigh, swelling. Gerard is rubbing against him in a maddeningly slow way.

“What do you want?” Gerard whispers and Dean wants to answer ' to fuck you senseless', but he can't because he has no idea what he's doing. So he goes with the things he knows. He backs Gerard against the wall and kisses him hard and messy to shut him up. He needs time to think about this. It's not that he has no idea how gay sex works, he fucked some girls that way when he was younger. When he didn't want to look at them because he didn't want their faces to blur together with time.

Gerard bites his lip hard enough to make it sting, he gasps. “The hell?”

“Tell me what you want.”

“You're into talking, aren't you?” Dean asks.

Gerard grins. “You have no idea.”

From there it's just a blur of emotions and feelings. Gerard's soft pants and gasps as Dean strokes his hip, digs his fingernails into his pale skin. The harsh intake of breath when he grabs Gerard's dick. Gerard's mouth is absolutely filthy; it makes Dean crazy looking at it and hearing the things he's saying. Dean always liked having partners who left shame at the door as soon as they entered a bedroom. Gerard is for-fucking-sure that kind of person.

Gerard grabs his hips hard and buries his face in Dean's neck, where he bites down onto that tender place between shoulder and neck when he comes.

Dean tangles his fingers in Gerard's hair and lets him catch his breath before he guides his head against the wall again. Gerard's lips are shiny red. His eyes half closed, his lashes look really dark on his cheeks. Sweat and come cooling between them on his stomach. Dean wipes his hand on a close by towel and looks at Gerard until Gerard smiles and looks back at him. He smirks then, and sinks to his knees slowly.

“You can't talk with your mouth full...” Dean says, his breath hitching.

Gerard smirks. “As if you weren't thinking about it all the fucking time.”

Dean really wants to answer to that, because he wasn’t, or he thinks he wasn’t, but what the hell. Gerard blows on his hard dick to make him pay attention and Dean puts his hands to the wall while he looks down. He isn't sure he could control himself if he tangled his fingers into Gerard's blood-red hair.

The first lick is a shock to his system, he shivers because it's so fucking good and then Gerard is done with playing around and just goes down to business. Gerard's short, bitten fingernails are digging into his ass as he's dragging his tongue over Dean's dick. Dean doesn't think he can take much more of this.

“Gerard...” he presses out, because it's always fucking polite to let someone who’s sucking your dick know that you're about to come. Gerard sucks harder and Dean nearly expects him to not fucking care, but then his lips are gone and his fingers tighten around Dean's dick. It doesn't take much more, he leans his head against the wall and tries to catch his breath. Fuck, he thinks. “Fuck,” he whispers.

Gerard, that smug bastard, kisses his thigh and makes a muscle quiver with it. Dean takes another sharp breath and ignores the urge to kick him.

~+~  
Sam looks at him the whole fucking time in the diner while they're having breakfast. He doesn't want to know. This dream wasn't a normal dream. When he woke up he could fucking feel a bruise forming there where Gerard bite him in his dream. The flesh there feels tender and when he touched it during his shower this morning it made him shiver. He was suppressing a fucking moan. No matter what Way says , that kid is something and he does something to Dean. That or he's going crazy, which is a real possibility.

“Okay,” Sam says and puts his knife aside. “What?”

“Nothing.”

“Something's eating at you, spit it out!” Sam says, and Dean chokes on his pancake. Fuck his brother, seriously.

“Just a dream I had,” he answers, taking a sip of coffee. Sam gives him a look and Dean thinks: Oh. “Not one of those! I still don't have freaky Jedi powers.”

“What was it, then?”

“You don't want to know.”

Sam gives him a sceptical look and then says: “Oh, yeah, no, I really don't want to know anything about _those_ kind of dreams! Urgh...”

Sometimes it's a blessing how well he knows Sammy.

~+~  
A few hours later, Dean is ready to kill something. He is rubbing that bruise restlessly and thinking about Way in a way that he really shouldn't. While Sam is gone for groceries, he grabs his phone and dials Way's number.

“Yeah?” comes the sleepy answer. His voice sounds rough, Dean thinks, like he sucked dick all night. Mental images, mental images, he chants in his head.

“Were you sucking dick last night?” he asks.

“Uhm, are you psychic?” Gerard says with an uneasy laugh. He's still not fully awake, Dean knows, because no sane person would admit something like that to a stranger. Dean sighs.

He wants to say he's not, but he thinks they might have a problem. He might have a problem.

“Mine?”

“Uhm, William's... but he was in your body. Wait! What the hell is going on?!” he asks. Dean can hear him grab for something. He's sure it's coffee or a cigarette. When he hears Gerard exhale he knows it's a cigarette.

“Shit just got from bad to worse, I think,” Dean answers.

“Dean?”

“We're on our way over and I'm not fucking happy about this shit,” he says and doesn't wait for a reply before he hangs up. Well, fuck. He puts his phone away and rubs the damned bruise again and then he waits for Sam to come back.

~+~  
They stop at a nondescript hotel somewhere in the middle of nowhere and he dreads going to bed, but they drove like crazy people and he is really fucking tired.

He dreams as soon as he hits the pillow.

~+~  
The next morning he feels like he didn't sleep at all. The bruise is a reminder that everything that happened really happened and they need to get to the Ways soon. He remembers everything from the last dream, as well; it wasn't about him, but it felt like it. He was someone else. He was someone else and he was masturbating in a very careful, soft, tender way. Like he had all the time in the world to do it.  
Dean honestly can't remember when he had enough time to jerk off like that.

~+~  
“The gruff-looking guy on the front porch is Bob, I imagine,” Sam says as they stop a bit away from the house.

Bob is holding a cigarette with one hand and a shotgun with the other, like he does it every fucking day. Dean just knows that Bob doesn't take shit.

“Yeah, seems so,” he answers, and gets out of the car.

Bob nods once when they pass him to knock on the door.

A pretty red haired woman opens the door and smiles. “They're in the kitchen, making dinner and plotting the death of dragons,” she says. “You can't miss them, just cross the hall and follow the noise.”

“Okay,” Dean replies with a smile. Bob makes a noise.

“Bob!” she laughs, and he shrugs. “Have to go. See you guys later!” She says and is running over the grass to a small green car. Suddenly she turns around and runs back. She grabs Bob, kisses him messily, and says: “Give them the good blankets,” before she's off again.

Bob shakes his head and takes a drag of his cigarette.

“They think we're staying,” Sam says, astonished.

Dean nods, he has the same feeling.

~+~  
When they enter the kitchen, it's a complete mess.

“Tomatoes?” Mikey asks, waving a knife in their direction.

“Sandwiches?” Dean wants to know.

“Yes, so tomatoes?”

“Yes,” Sam says. “Thanks.”

“Tea? Coffee?” William asks, Dean thinks he seems more in control now; less afraid.

“Coffee,” Dean replies.

Sam takes a chair and the tea and waits. They both do, even if Dean was the one whose idea it was to come here. Dean needed to see Gerard - he has just no idea _why_.

~+~  
Later, after they've eaten, Gerard takes him aside to the fucking library and pours him a whisky.

“Okay, what the hell is wrong?” he asks, he's taking out his pack and lighting one, takes a deep drag. Dean can't not stare at his lips for a second too long.

“Shit is going down. I have no idea how or why, but,” he downs the drink, puts the glass down a bit too hard and drags the collar of his shirt aside.

“Oh, fuck,” Gerard says, staring at him.

“I reckon you remember that?”

“Uhm, yeah, but I didn't have sex with you - I mean, he looked like you, but it _wasn't_ you!” Gerard takes a nervous drag of his cigarette and exhales slowly.

“Really? How the hell can this happen?” he demands to know.

“Maybe you’re not so different from us after all?” Gerard speculates.

“What do you mean?” Dean seriously doesn't like where this is going.

“Maybe there is a connection between you and William, you and me, and Sam and Mikey -”

“He doesn't even have siblings!” Dean explodes.

“We don't know that,” Gerard says calmly.

Dean pours another drink, he doesn't think he can deal with this. “So, what? I have weird sex mojo?”

“Do you get easily into other people's pants?” Gerard asks.

“Yeah, but, well, I’m hot,” Dean answers. Gerard rolls his eyes. “You would so do me.”

“I did you,” Gerard smirks and Dean has to look away. This is too fucking weird. He pours another drink.

“Don't get drunk, now. Does Sam know why you're here?”

“Does it look to you like I'm talking about sex with my baby brother?” Dean bites back.

Gerard laughs. “Oh, fuck. This - I was your first man!”

Dean drowns the drink and makes for the bottle, but Gerard is faster. Their fingers brush and Gerard nearly lets the bottle slip and crash on the ancient-looking carpet.

Dean closes his eyes as he snatches his hand away. “There’s something else. I was dreaming again tonight. But I wasn't me, I was someone else, and it was one of those dreams again.”

“Care to share some details?” Gerard asks. He is standing a few feet away now, cigarette between his lips and hands in the pocket of his hoodie.

“I really don't. Can't you just ask him what he did last night, and who he was?” Dean says.

Gerard cocks his head. He takes the cigarette, puts it in the ashtray and nods. “Sure.”

“Thanks.”

~+~  
Gerard is back some fifteen, twenty minutes later.

“He was Jared - uhm - this is getting really messy.”

“I guess Jared is the name of one of the other siblings you know with powers?” It's not a real question. Dean knows the answer to that.

“Yes. Strange.”

“You think?”

“I just don't get how this all fits together.”

“I think you should call Jared and his brother.”

“They're already on their way here, Mikey called them. Jared isn't talking to me and I think he still wants to kill me.”

“Just blow him, I'm sure he'll forgive you.”

“Done that and, yeah, no,” Gerard answers, he looks a bit crushed. Dean decides he seriously doesn't want to know.

“Okay.”

  
 **~17~**

  
  
When Gerard stumbles into the kitchen the next morning he is greeted with the smell of coffee and a death glare.

Jared is chain smoking in Emilie's kitchen. Mikey shrugs and hands Gerard a mug of coffee. It seems that Jared isn't anywhere near ready to talk to Gerard without first holding a knife to Gerard's very sensitive neck.

Dean looks like he slept with a gun under his pillow; he probably did. Gerard can't even blame him. He would've done the same thing if it was him in that situation. Jared is drinking tea while he talks to William quietly in a corner. Gerard has no idea where Shannon is, maybe with Bob. He takes a sip of coffee and closes his eyes while he sighs.

Dean makes a noise and Jared laughs. It sounds surprised. Gerard bets everything he has that even Jared was surprised by his own laugh.

This whole situation is pretty messed up, even by their standards. He takes another sip of his coffee and lights a cigarette.

“So, you got to him, hmm?” Jared asks, exhaling. For a second Gerard isn't sure Jared actually is speaking to him, then he nods.

“Seems so. For the record: It wasn't my fault.”

Dean puts his head into his hands and exhales. Gerard feels a bit sorry for him.

“So, what the hell are we going to do?” Sam asks from the corner, and everyone turns to look at him.

“We have no idea. We should just gather and exchange all the information we have so far and keep it to ourselves.”

“Uhm,” Sam says.

“What?”

“We told Bobby,” Dean mumbles.

“Great!” Jared takes a violent drag of his cigarette.

“Bob knows, too, and Emilie,” Mikey throws in.

“We trust them,” Shannon says from behind. Gerard doesn't turn around. If Shannon wanted to set him on fire he would've done it already.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Dean snaps.

 _Great_ , Gerard thinks. _This is going really great._

“That we don't trust you guys, isn't it obvious?” Shannon says and to Mikey: “He's the slow one, right?”

Gerard steps in front of Dean to prevent a fight. “Shannon,” he says softly. Shannon's eyes bore into him as he turns in Gerard's direction. It's kind of creepy as fuck. Gerard takes another drag of his cigarette.

“You're lucky I didn't set your favourite hoodie on fire,” Shannon gives back, and Mikey snickers. Sometimes it's hard to tell whose side Mikey's on.

 _’Yours. Always yours, Gee.’_

 _’Thanks,’_ Gerard answers.

“Okay, not a word to anyone. After all, hunters are hunting these kids. I bet one or the other is still interested in William.”

“Hunters don't seem to be the only ones,” Jared throws in.

Gerard nods. “True. Something is after us and William. Something big and scary.”

“And Dad's missing,” Sam says.

“You think he was tracking that thing down?” Jared asks, exhaling smoke. Gerard has no idea how Jared does it, but even smoking looks like fucking seduction when he does it.

“Possibly. Since I can remember he’s been trying to find that thing that killed our mom,” Sam answers. Dean doesn't look like he loves to share their family business, but he keeps quiet.

“She died in a fire, right?” Jared asks.

“Yeah. When I was six months old. Dad saw her burning on the ceiling of the nursery.”

“Sounds like someone was making a statement,” Jared answers.

Dean’s head snaps in his direction. “A statement?”

“Yes, a statement. That thing wanted your Dad to see it, wanted you to possibly go after it. You Dad’s an ex-marine, right?”

“What does that have to do with anything?” Dean wants to know.

“Well, he was trained to go after a threat. This thing killed his wife... One and one makes two.”

“You think we were set up!” Sam throws in.

Mikey lights a cigarette. “Makes sense to me. I have to admit, Helena was preparing us for war, as well; after our parents died.”

“How do they fit in?” Dean asks with a nod in the Letos direction.

“Our parents were hunters,” Jared answers.

“What?” Gerard says. _What the fuck?_

“They were killed?”

“In a car accident. It burned out,” Shannon confirms.

“I see a pattern here,” Sam says.

“No shit,” Gerard takes another drag of his nearly finished cigarette. “Kids with hunter parents - and powers.”

“Our parents weren't hunters at that time,” Sam throws in.

“But they knew your Dad would go after whatever killed your mom, because that's your Dad's nature,” Mikey says.

“True enough.”

“I don't have hunter parents, either,” comes William's soft voice from the corner.

“We don't know that,” Gerard answers.

“Oh... okay.”

“And you sure as hell have powers,” Dean says.

“That is because I'm not human,” William replies.

Dean looks a bit taken aback at that simple statement. It came kind of out of nowhere. “What?”

“I'm a shape shifter,” William says softly.

“You live with a shape shifter? Don't you know they're all crazy?” Dean snaps, at the Ways in particular and everyone in general.

“He doesn't seem crazy to me,” Sam says.

“Anyone would be nuts after what they did to him!”

William flinches in his corner and Jared is instantly at his side without touching. Just hovering.

“Don't do anything stupid, now, or I'll have to kill you,” he warns, and Dean puts his hands flat on the kitchen table.

“Maybe we should calm down now and meet again for lunch in a few hours?” Gerard asks.

The Letos nod, and so does Sam. Gerard counts that as a win. “Great.”

~+~  
“Maybe that wasn't the best time to tell them about you, Bill,” Gerard says.

“I don't think there is ever a good time to tell someone something like this,” William gives back. He's sitting curled up on the couch, and Gerard tries not to stare at him. They had sex. It's so fucking weird, and the weirdest thing is that Mikey didn't know. He couldn't feel Mikey at the back of his head during the whole thing, but he knows that Dean could feel everything at his end, and he was miles away, states even. What the fuck.

“We're connected in some way, and I have no idea why or what for,” William says into Gerard's thoughts.

“Same here. I know Dean could feel everything while we...” he waves his hand and William smiles.

“Had sex,” he supplies.

“Yes, but Mikey wasn't there. He doesn't know yet.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. I wasn't aware of it at the time, but now I am. I just want to know what they want us for.”

“They as in who?”

“Demons? I have no idea,” Gerard admits. “And we have a house full of hunters.”

“What demon would want a bunch of hunters with powers and a shape shifter against them? That's kind of suicidal, isn't it?”

“Maybe this whole thing wasn't planned like this? After all, the Letos aren't hunters.”

“But maybe they should have been,” William says.

Gerard nods. Yeah, he was thinking that, too. “Something somewhere went wrong and now we're here and have no clue.”

~+~  
“Someone else find it odd that you are seven guys with powers?” Emilie asks.

“I don't have any powers,” Dean throws in.

“You have a mind link with a shape shifter. I'll call that a power,” Emilie answers, rolling her eyes.

“That's not... I didn't do it. He does something to me.”

“Maybe, but he’s never formed a link with anyone else,” Mikey says softly.

Dean keeps quiet, as does William.

“Okay, so seven? Seven boys with powers. What would they want us for?”

“And we have really odd powers - I mean, mind reading and healing, Shannon can kill someone with his mind-”

“As can Sam,” Dean throws in.

“Can he?”

“I can only see things in my nightmares. I have no Jedi powers.”

“Maybe they're still developing, who knows?”

“I think all of your powers are developing, and fast, now that you’re together and linked,” Emilie says, firm.

“I don't like where this is going,” Dean replies.

“I don't like it either, but I think Emilie is right. I was able to heal much more severe wounds after I met Gerard.” Jared says, leaning back in his chair.

“I think you're feeding off each other and magnifying your powers that way.”

“That's a good thing, right?” Mikey asks.

“I would say so, but it always depends what they want that power for - and I’m sure it isn't something good.”

“Ancient prophecy?” Mikey asks.

“There is one I can think of immediately-”

“She's going to say the Apocalypse, right?” Dean interrupts.

Gerard nods, he has that suspicion, too.

“The apocalypse,” Emilie finishes.

“You’re freaking kidding me!” Dean says.

“No, Bob and Bobby are on that one. There are seven big seals and, well... you’re seven guys with powers. What are the odds?”

“I, maybe, kind of hate everything right now,” Shannon says.

Jared and Gerard nod.

~+~  
Gerard is having his third cigarette in a row when Dean sits down next to him on the porch.

“The freaking apocalypse, hmm?” he says.

“Seems so.”

“I wish I never crossed paths with you guys,” Dean sighs.

“Same here. I guess.... well, I mean-” Gerard takes a deep drag, blushing a bit.

Dean laughs. “Yeah, the sex was hot.” He stares at the gate in the distance and Gerard waits. “I usually don't go for guys at all,” he confesses.

“I figured; not during, but after... I mean, it was kind of weird, like William wasn't himself. Because he knows everything about sex that there is to know,” he takes a deep drag and tries not to think about it anymore. William is safe now, no one can do him any harm here.

“He seems like a good kid,” Dean admits.

“He is a good kid, and I want to kill everyone who did that to him with my bare hands.”

Dean nods in understanding.

“So, you think we have a chance on surviving that thing?” Gerard asks.

“The freaking apocalypse? Yeah. I do.”

“What makes you so sure?”

“Sam can see the future,” Dean answers with a grin.

~end~


End file.
